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Mancini blames wasteful finishing and officials for Inter loss

SoccerNews in Serie A 10 Jan 2016

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Inter coach Roberto Mancini felt his team were dominant in their last-gasp 1-0 loss to Sassuolo and complained that match-winner Domenico Berardi should have been sent off.

The Serie A leaders were condemned to back-to-back home losses after visiting goalkeeper Andrea Consigli excelled at San Siro.

Their frustrations were compounded deep into stoppage time when Miranda clumsily fouled substitute Gregoire Defrel in the box and Berardi made no mistake to lend another twist to an intriguing title race.

Mancini’s team have been criticised for amassing a host of battling 1-0 wins this season but the former Manchester City boss stated this outcome would have pleased him more than having nothing to show for a host of clear-cut opportunities.

“It was always better suffering and winning 1-0,” he told Mediaset Premium.

“We have created and had chances but their goalkeeper was very good. In the second half, apart from the set pieces, they never had the opportunity.

“We were dominating and we tried to win the game. Instead we took zero points when we had to take many more.

“The penalty was just an incident, not down to a dip in concentration. We must accept the defeat and move on.”

However, Mancini was not keen to draw a veil over a clash between Berardi and Danilo D’Ambrosio during the first-half where the Inter defender appeared to be caught in the face by a flailing hand.

“I do believe Berardi should have been sent off for that foul on D’Ambrosio,” he said.

“Of course he scored the winner at the end. The referee got it wrong.”

At the halfway point of the season, Inter have scored 24 times in 19 matches and the Sassuolo shutout is likely to increase the clamour for Mancini to enhance his attacking options during the January transfer window.

Nevertheless, the coach backed his current crop of forwards and cast doubt on mooted moves for Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi and Dries Mertens – whose Napoli team-mates were poised to replace Inter at the Serie A summit if they avoided defeat at Frosinone on Sunday.

“Lavezzi and Mertens are too expensive, so it’s unlikely they will arrive,” he added.

“I think we’re talking to Sampdoria about Dodo, but we have good forwards and are fine like this.”

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