Dzeko: 'Unacceptable refereeing'

By Football Italia staff

Edin Dzeko said Willie Collum’s penalty decision was “unacceptable and cannot happen at this level” after Roma’s draw with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Nicolò Zaniolo had put the Giallorossi in front with a header, but deep into stoppages the referee awarded a penalty in the Europa League match for handball, even though it clearly hit Chris Smalling in the face.

“It’s a serious error that cannot happen at this level. It changes the result, the whole game, the group,” Dzeko told Sky Sport Italia.

“Now we have another three games where anything could happen. A victory today would’ve made everything easier. I just don’t understand the referee, he was so sure that he was right, but I’d seen it hit Smalling in the face. When I saw the replay on television, it’s just incredible.

“The referee kept insisting it was a penalty, I told him it was his face and not the hand. You could see the mark on Smalling’s face where the ball hit him.

“You can’t give a penalty like that at the 95th minute. It’s unacceptable. We ran no risks at all in the second half and we’ve lost two points here. We can’t do anything about it now, we have to look forward.”

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