Antonio Conte Slams Referee After Barcelona vs. Inter: 'Respect Must Be Mutual'

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte has hit out at the referee following his side's clash with Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, saying "respect must be mutual."

Inter were beaten 2-1 on the night, with Lautaro Martinez's early goal cancelled out by two strikes from Luis Suarez in the second period.

During the game, Conte was noticeably unhappy with match official Damir Skomina, particularly after the referee waved away a penalty appeal after Inter's Stefano Sensi went down in the area. Speaking post-match, the Italian manager outlined why he was so frustrated with the officiating at the Camp Nou, per Josh Thomas of Goal:

"We deserved more. I am bitter because I have seen some situations that I did not like. There were things that I did not like from the beginning, but I don't want to talk about that. On the bench we had some feelings I did not like.

"What did the referee tell me? Nothing, he came to warn me and he said he would send me off at the next opportunity.

"Referees have on their shirt the word 'respect' and it is the only thing I have asked. They must respect those who come here to try to do better than the other team. Respect must be mutual."

Conte added that his team need to "be better at capitalising on the opportunities" they create, with the defeat "undeserved" in his eyes.

Ed Malyon of The Athletic was surprised by how good Inter were in the first half:

The Serie A side were dominant against Barcelona in the early exchanges. After going ahead with just two minutes on the clock, they had a chance to put the game beyond their hosts but were profligate with their chances before the Spanish champions recovered after the break.

There will be plenty of aspects of the game that Conte will be content with, though, and his players have seemingly taken to his methods quickly since his appointment in the summer.

Italian football writer David Amoyal praised the impact the former Chelsea and Juventus boss has been able to have at the San Siro already:

Miguel Delaney of The Independent thinks the Nerazzurri have got one of the best managers in the game:

As much as Conte will be keen to take positives from Wednesday’s loss, the team face an uphill struggle to qualify from their Champions League group. They have just one point from their first two games, having drawn 1-1 with Slavia Prague on Matchday 1; next up is a double-header with Borussia Dortmund.

Conte will hope his players can quickly shake off the disappointment of the loss in Catalonia given they have a huge game on Sunday. Inter will be seeking to extend their perfect record in Serie A when they welcome Italian champions Juventus to the San Siro.