Graziano Pelle has claimed that had he been able to take matters into his own hands then he would have pulled back Croatia’s opening goal and stopped the game, during Italy’s 1-1 draw against the hosts.
A goal from the penalty spot was enough for Italy to earn a draw on Friday evening in Split, a night surrounded by controversy as Italy had a goal ruled out only for play to resume unbeknownst to the Italian players, who consequently conceded.
The Southampton striker has become the latest player to lament the referee’s decision’s, stating he would have dealt with the matter differently.
“Quite frankly today we played much worse than Croatia,” he said, speaking to Rai Sport.
“However they [Croatia] scored an odd goal which eventually shaped the outcome of the game.
“If I was the referee then I would have immediately stopped play and disallowed their first goal. But this sort of thing happens in football.
The attacker starred for the duration of the match though didn’t managed to get his name on the score-sheet, despite coming close with a few good chances.
“There were actually a lot of good balls played in to me. I get along well with this tactic.
“I am also fine with whatever strategy the coach [Antonio Conte] uses. I am fine playing in a 3-5-2 formation or even a 4-3-3, but it not me who makes the decisions.”
