Nainggolan sprays referee after loss

Cagliari midfielder Radja Nainggolan has launched a scathing attack on referee Antonio Damato following his side’s 2-1 defeat at Inter on Saturday.

A late Joaquin Larrivey goal was not enough to prevent Cagliari from returning home empty-handed after Thiago Motta and Coutinho had given Inter a two-goal lead earlier in the second half.

Nainggolan was left furious at the match official’s decisions as he believes they had a direct influence on the result.

“The referee was only neutral in the last three minutes of the match,” he told Corriere dello Sport.

“We suffered a goal in offside and another one which came right after a foul which was not signalled.”

The result sees Cagliari in 11th in the Serie A table on 13 points, whilst Inter climb to 16th as they seek to rebuild from a catastrophic start.