22 June 2023 , 21:59
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Italy's young stars were furious after the referee failed to award a clear goal during their U21 Euros clash against France on Thursday.
The tournament in Romania and Georgia started on Wednesday, with Italy's opening game against France taking place the following evening. It was an enthralling clash in Cluj-Napoca, with France winning 2-1 thanks to the controversial refereeing blunder.
Inter Milan defender Raoul Bellanova thought he scored a last-minute equaliser when his header crossed the line before being cleared, only for the referee to wave play on. Leeds winger Wilfried Gnonto led the protests, but referee Allard Lindhout said no goal.
VAR is not being used at the U21 Euros and there is no goal-line technology either. To make matters worse, Lyon defender Castello Lukeba appeared to use his arm before his clearance. There also appeared to be a foul in the build up to France's winner.
The chaos started when Bellanova headed the ball towards goal in the second minute of stoppage time. His header rebounded off the post and directed towards the net, but Lukeba was on hand to scoop the ball away with his hand after it crossed the line.
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Several Italy players appealed to Lindhout, with Gnonto receiving a booking for his protests. UEFA's website insists the ball was "narrowly cleared" before it crossed the line - calling it "incredible drama" - but the video evidence suggests otherwise.
Raoul Bellanova thought he had scored a late equaliserWhat do you make of the controversial incident? Let us know in the comments below!
UEFA's website also contained quotes from both teams but no reference to the incident. It leaves Italy with a mountain to climb ahead of their next group games against Switzerland and Norway, with both games taking place in Cluj-Napoca.
Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo opened the scoring for France against Italy before Torino forward Pietro Pellegri equalised. The winner was scored by Lyon youngster Bradley Barcola, although there appeared to be a foul in the build up to the goal.
Italy pushed for a second equaliser when Sevilla defender Loic Bade fouled Gnonto, but the game finished 2-1. "It’s not the result we expected," said Italy manager Paolo Nicolato. "We were unlucky at times; tactically, some of the things we prepared worked."
Wilfried Gnonto couldn't believe the referee's decisionGnonto added: "We played well but didn’t take our chances - and if you don’t take your chances, you lose... It’s never easy to come off the bench. Now we have just two days to prepare for the next game, and we need to do our best."
Elsewhere in the tournament, England defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 in Batumi thanks to goals from Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey and Arsenal winger Emile Smith Rowe. England's next two games against Israel and Germany will also take place in Batumi.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones said: "It's the perfect way to start. It's always good to win your first game. We've got a team that ability wise and talent wise is one of the best I've seen. It's hard to put us all in the team."