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25th February 2026
11:40am GMT

Nicolo Barella has spoken out on a previous incident in Internazionale's 1-0 defeat to Liverpool - after the Italian giants were knocked out of the Champions League play-off phase by Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt.
Pulling off one of the biggest shocks in UCL history on Tuesday night, goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen made it 5-1 on aggregate to the team before Alessandro Bastoni managed to score a consolation goal.
Post-match, a shocked Barella gave Bodo/Glimt their credits, though mentioned the Liverpool match in a telling comment:
"We tried but they were better," he said. "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 (against 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."
The decision to award Florian Wirtz a penalty back in December caused mass controversy at the time, with many fans arguing that it should not have been given.
Former England gaffer Fabio Capello weighed in on the argument: "I don’t understand why the VAR had to intervene when the referee saw it all, the obvious simulation throwing himself to the ground."
Last season's finalists will now not even make the last-16 of the tournament this term.