Gordon Strachan said he was happy with the performance of Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli during Scotland's 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, despite the official and his team missing Jonathan Walters occupying an offside position in the build-up to the home side's goal.
Rizzoli was the man in the middle for Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier and was at the centre of some key decisions during the game – some of which Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane didn't concur, both men visibly agitated on the touchline at various points during the game and O'Neill receiving warnings from Rizzoli on a number of occasions.
However, Strachan said he found no fault in the referee's performance, despite having cause to do so. As well as missing the Walters offside, James McCarthy could have been deemed fortunate not to be shown a red card in the 30th minute when he caught Russell Martin with his elbow in an aerial challenge.
The Glaswegian received just a booking, while Martin needed a few minutes of treatment on the sideline, leaving the visitors one man short during that time.
Yet when asked by media post-match if he was disappointed that the Walters infringement in particular was missed by the officials, Strachan replied: “I've not seen it yet.
“I've not seen it, and I've got to say that I'm going to get back on the plane, have a cup of tea and just rest. I'm not interested about offside or not offside.”
Continue reading Gordan Strachan's and Martin O'Neill's opposing views on referee Nicola Rizzoli on Extratime.ie.
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