Conte accuses Benfica of negative play

Turin, May 2 (IANS) Juventus head coach Antonio Conte has accused Benfica of negative play after his side was denied a spot in the Europa League final.

Conte claimed that Juventus, who lost to Benfica 2-1 on aggregate after being held to a scoreless draw at home in the second leg Thursday, deserved to reach the final, reports Xinhua.

"It's a shame, as with two shots on target over two legs Benfica went through. Over the two games Juventus certainly deserved to go through," he said.

The Juve tactician suggested that the better team lost.

"You just have to look at the statistics. Benfica had two shots on target over two legs. That was it," he said.

He then complained about the referee who, according to him, allowed Benfica to play a negative game.

"They have international experience and showed it, as down to 10 men they stopped us playing and I am truly disappointed the referee allowed them to get away with that," he said.

"What didn't work was that we didn't get that incident going our way. It's a shame, as these games are right on the limit, Benfica obstructed us at every turn and the referee allowed them to do it," he added.