Nicolo Barella curiously appeared to point the finger at a Liverpool player following Inter Milan’s shock Champions League exit to Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night. After beating Atletico Madrid and Manchester City during the initial league phase, Bodo/Glimt have now passed their biggest test yet by defeating last season’s finalists 5-2 on aggregate.
The result came after the minnows – whose domestic campaign ends in November due to the harsh Arctic winter conditions – stunned Inter with a 3-1 home win before edging a 2-1 victory in the second leg at the iconic San Siro. Goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen made it 5-1 on aggregate, before Alessandro Bastoni scored a late consolation.
It was a hugely disappointing night for Cristian Chivu’s side and, after the final whistle, a frustrated Barella gave credit to the Norwegians but also pointed to a key incident from their league-phase clash against Liverpool as a reason to feel aggrieved by how Inter’s European campaign has crumbled before them.
Barella Slams Florian Wirtz Penalty Incident as Inter Crash out of UCL
“We tried, but they were better,” the Italian midfielder began, before wasting no time in bringing up an incident that took place in Inter’s 1-0 home loss against the Premier League champions back in December. He continued, as per GOAL:
“It is infuriating that we slipped out of the league phase by one point because they called a made-up penalty in the 90th minute [vs Liverpool], and with that, we didn’t end up in the top eight. Without it, we would have avoided the two extra matches and the trip to Norway, but that is the new Champions League.”
Back in December, the decision to award Liverpool a late spot-kick after Florian Wirtz was brought down in the area was widely criticised. Wirtz went down easily when Alessandro Bastoni tugged his shirt in the box and play initially continued, but VAR eventually halted proceedings before the referee rewatched the incident from the pitchside monitor.
He decided to point to the spot, with Dominik Szoboszlai going on to convert from 12 yards to secure all three points. In the end, that proved to be the difference between the Italian giants qualifying directly for the Champions League knockouts and requiring an extra playoff match, which became their eventual undoing.
Liverpool secured a late win against Inter Milan, but there was controversy around the penalty decision.
Inter Milan’s Champions League Misfortune Continues
Having reached two of the previous three Champions League finals – losing 1-0 to Manchester City when Pep Guardiola was on course for a historic treble in 2023, and then by a record-breaking 5-0 margin to Paris Saint-Germain last time out – it now appears much of Inter Milan’s progress towards building a side capable of continental dominance has come apart at the seams following Simone Inzaghi’s departure over the summer.
Were the Nerazzurri simply overperforming in tournament football? With Inter currently sitting top of the Serie A table, 10 points clear of neighbours AC Milan, there is reason to believe the defeat to Bodo/Glimt could be a one-off. But that does little to mask the reality that they have not maximised their opportunities in Europe’s premier competition over the past decade, and they look further away than usual from lifting their first big-eared trophy since 2010.
FIFA have been urged to delay an upcoming 2026 World Cup fixture amid an increased risk of “heat related illness or even death” due to a dangerous heat wave.
All matches at this summer’s showpiece international tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico have featured three-minute hydration breaks, one in each half, to allow players to take on fluids in an effort to prevent overheating.
However, hydration breaks may not be sufficient for one upcoming last 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field, otherwise known as the Philadelphia Stadium at the 2026 World Cup.
Heat Wave Threatens to Impact Last 16 Fixture
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Temperatures are set to his record highs in Philadelphia, where Paraguay and France go head-to-head on Saturday.
Per talkSPORT, the heat index, including humidity, is expected to be between 37 and 46 degrees Celsius (100F – 115 Fahrenheit) this weekend.
As things stand, France’s last 16 fixture against Paraguay is scheduled to get underway at 5pm local time (10pm BST). Temperatures are still expected to be dangerously high at this point in the day, sparking concern for players, officials and fans.
FIFA’s current heat guidelines state that matches are at risk of being postponed if the wet bulb temperature reaches 32 C (89 F). There’s currently a high chance this temperature will be exceeded when Kylian Mbappe and co. face their South American opponents at the 67,594-capacity stadium which is home to NFL side Philadelphia Eagles.
“When you’re exerting yourself on a particularly hot day, the likelihood of experiencing heat related illness or even death is much higher,” Bahart Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, told the Associated Press.
It’s warned that intense exercise on such a hot day can lead to extreme fatigue, impaired performance, headache, irritability, nausea, dizziness, cramping and dehydration – all symptoms of exertional heat illness.
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FIFA Urged to Push Kick-Off Time Back
REUTERS/Mandel Ngan
Journalist Ian Nicholas Quillen has written an article for Forbes, urging FIFA to delay kick-off for Paraguay vs France.
“Let’s start with the obvious: This was entirely predictable when FIFA decided to engage in wishful thinking and schedule knockout phase matches outdoors on the East Coast during the middle of the day,” Quillen writes.
“Put bluntly, playing this fixture at its scheduled time will put players, fans and match officials at unnecessary risk. And even for TV viewers in the comfort of their own homes, it will significantly impact the product on the field.”
He adds: “But FIFA can still rectify its own mistake with relatively minimal consequences by preemptively delaying kick-off until the evening.”
Pushing the kick-off time back would mean “conditions would become considerably more playable just by delaying matches a few hours until the evening, when at least the impact of the sun could be mitigated.”
He warns that FIFA may find themselves in a similar predicament later in the knockout stages due to the risk of another heat wave impacting the north-east of the United States this month.
Following the game at Torono Stadium, Ronaldo made his way over to Modric and the two former teammates had a few words with each other before sharing an emotional embrace.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo revealed what he said to the legendary midfielder. He said, per Manchester Evening News: “I played with Luka so many matches and we are nearly the same age. He is a legend of football.
“I said to him, ‘Congratulations for everything. I would love to see you again and all the best for the next years of your career’. It was nice to play him once again.”
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Luka Modric Rages at VAR After Portugal 2-1 Croatia
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Modric vented his frustrations at VAR following the match. He said, via Sportske Novosti: “We can look at the game in two parts, in the first half we were not at our best level, we were quite withdrawn, but in the second half we played a phenomenal game.
“That’s one of our better games. We could have easily finished it earlier, but we didn’t manage it. We missed, and then some things happened that are unbelievable to me.
“What is, is there. It’s hard to say what is smart after the game, I don’t want to say something wrong. We can be proud of how we played the second half; we deserved more, but simply, football is like that. “
On the disallowed goal, he said: “He says Matanović touched the ball, but we watched the footage, there’s no evidence that he touched the ball. If he doesn’t touch the ball, it’s not offside.”
He added: “Some things didn’t go our way. That penalty… If it were the other way around, VAR would never have been involved.
“I said about VAR in the beginning, when it was first introduced, that I didn’t like it. Later, over time, it’s good for some things, but they use it incorrectly or use it selectively, or depending on the size of the team.
“VAR should intervene if it’s 200 per cent a mistake, but if it’s not, if it’s in the grey zone, you have no say in it. There’s no point in calling VAR.
“This is no penalty. Both teams are replaying, pushing, Vlašić didn’t pull it, he held it, and both of them fell. That’s why you can’t judge a penalty like that in a game like this.
“That’s why I say, it has to be used if the mistake is 200 per cent. If you can treat something this way or that, you have no say in it.
“That annoys me and always works to our detriment. What is, it is, let’s move on, we won’t complain about it, but of course, some things bother me because fate decides.
“They decide the mood for everything you do, what you give up, you tear yourself apart, you fight. There are young players who come here, and then you do something like this to them… You are to blame for that, and it is always to our detriment.”
Joao Palhinha has confirmed that he won’t be a Tottenham Hotspur player next season following a big U-turn by manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham have been the busiest Premier League club by far in the summer transfer window, with Sandro Tonali set to become their sixth addition imminently after Spurs agreed a club-record £100m fee with Newcastle United for the Italy international.
The 26-year-old follows fellow midfielder Mateus Fernandes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has meant that De Zerbi has had to backtrack on his previous comments.
The Italian boss had previous said that Palhinha was someone he ‘100%’ wanted to sign this summer, after the Portugal international played a huge part in the club’s survival last season.
Palhinha scored two crucial goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton during the run-in, and while Tottenham didn’t take up the option they had to sign him on a permanent basis, it was expected that they would try and renegotiate the terms.
However, the north Londoners have now turned their back on a deal for the Bayern Munich star, having landed both Fernandes and Tonali for their midfield in big-money deals.
