Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Angry St Etienne criticise referee after Champions League defeat at Lazio

#INSERT type:image caption:Ogenyi Onazi celebrates a Lazio goal in the dramatic win over St Etienne. END#

St Etienne president Bernard Caiazzo hit out at referee Halis Ozkahya after his side's 3-2 Champions League loss to Lazio in Rome.

The Ligue 1 club finished with nine men at the Stadio Olimpico and were angry that Robert Beric was sent off in the first half for what appeared to be an accidental elbow.

"I'm very proud of our players and our team, but there's one person I think who shouldn't be very proud," Caiazzo told RMC.

"When you see refereeing like that, you say to yourself that French referees -- who we criticise a lot -- are the best in the world.

"It's a disgrace to football. We wouldn't have been proud to win a game like that, with such malevolence and incompetence."

St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier added: "I don't think Robert Beric meant to throw an elbow.

"The Italian defender came to collide with the arm or the elbow of Robert. The referee rushed himself, and maybe panicked a bit when he saw the player bleeding on the ground."

Meanwhile, full-back Francois Clerc said he believed the official may have been influenced by the home crowd, adding: "The dice were loaded, because if it was the other way around the referee would never have produced a red card.

"I hope that UEFA are going to look back on the images."

But Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said he felt his players had come through after recent struggles for form.

"When you suffer, it helps you to grow," he said at a news conference. "The red cards did help us, but they came because we had been putting pressure on our opponents' defence.

"We had a very young team out there tonight, but we've still got a lot of growing to do for our ambitions."

Lazio can now look forward to Sunday's derby with Frosinone with more optimism, according to captain Lucas Biglia.

"Coming back to win shows that this team's got character," he told Sky Sport. "We're getting some key players back from injuries. We're united, and wins like this give you confidence."

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