Leonardo Semplici warns Cagliari haven’t secured survival yet and insists ‘there must be a reason’ why Daniele Doveri didn’t award a penalty kick to Benevento.
The Sardinians took all three points, but there was controversy as Benevento were denied a spot-kick after a VAR check when Cagliari were 2-1 up with five minutes remaining.
Leonardo Semplici warns Cagliari haven’t secured survival yet and insists ‘there must be a reason’ why Daniele Doveri didn’t award a penalty kick to Benevento.
The Sardinians took all three points, but there was controversy as Benevento were denied a spot-kick after a VAR check when Cagliari were 2-1 up with five minutes remaining.
“It was an important win on a difficult pitch. It was normal to suffer as things didn’t look good when I arrived,” Semplici told Sky Sport Italia.
“We started off well. They reacted after we had scored the opener and we struggled a little after that. We could have conceded two goals, but we improved in the second half,” the coach continued.
“We deserve to achieve this result, but we have yet to achieve our goal.
“We were more aggressive in the second half. We limited them. Episodes were crucial and we made the most of them.
“Credit to the lads who have always been helpful and allowed us to recover. We’ve always believed we could do it, and it would be a mistake to think the job is done.”
What does he make of the penalty kick call?
“I don’t know, it seemed it was a penalty, but I haven’t watched the replay, so I am not sure,” Semplici claimed.
When Sky Sport Italia showed a few replays that proved Kwadwo Asamoah’s presumed foul, Semplici replied: “I don’t know if he watched the same replay, I don’t think he did it on purpose. He is one of the best referees in Italy. If there were a contact, he would have awarded a penalty kick.”