North Macedonia coach Blagoja Milevski rebuked Luciano Spalletti on the touchline after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Italy in Skopje.
The Azzurri were held to a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia in Spalletti’s debut as Italy boss.
Spalletti looked disappointed after the final whistle and frustration increased when he crossed paths with the opposing coach Milevski. The 52-year-old was furious when shaking hands with his Italy counterpart on the touchline because, as reported by Goal.com, the Azzurri had not given the ball back to his players during the game.
Milevski pointed to the spot where his players had put the ball out for an injury, blaming Spalletti because the Azzurri had not given it back.
Italy will now face second-placed Ukraine at San Siro on Tuesday. The Azzurri have four points in three games and have a play-off spot granted after reaching the Nations League Final Four. The top two teams in the group automatically qualify for Euro 2024.