Siniša Mihajlović expressed his displeasure at the penalty decision leading Venezia to ensure a 4-3 victory over Bologna in Serie A on Sunday.
In the post-match interview with DAZN Italia, the Bologna boss claimed,
“We started very badly, we entered the field while not being very aggressive. This is demonstrated by the first goal conceded, that he does not suffer even when playing bachelor against married men.
“Then we had the strength to react, we overturned it and we had the game in hand. Then there was this penalty that doesn’t convince me: the referee refereed well, he let it go but he whistled this penalty that I can’t understand. Medel first touches the ball and then touches the opponent’s foot.
“Then at the VAR, he confirmed his choice. Then it is strange that the referee on the triple whistle went immediately to the locker room, almost running away. In a way, he had a guilty conscience. I’m sorry because if we lost it was our fault anyway.
In Rome, there was a net deduction on Orsolini and they gave us handballs against us. These penalties should not be whistled. He ruined his performance by the referee. This goal made us nervous. Sorry for the people who came. This defeat burns us, now we will have to try to get as many points as possible “
Mihajlović returned to the dugout in Serie A for the first first time since the leukaemia treatment.
Thanks to the goals from Riccardo Orsolini, Marko Arnautovic, and Jerdy Schouten, Bologna were leading 3-2 on the scoreline when the controversial incident took place, with Gary Medel’s tackle on Mattia Aramu awarding a penalty to the relegation-dwellers.
In the injury time, Dennis Johnsen scored the decisive goal for the home side to hand Venezia a slim hope of survival in Serie A, with Bologna facing their first Serie A defeat after six games.