DAEJEON, South Korea – Seething Italian players claimed Tuesday they
were knocked out of the World Cup by poor officiating.
An early penalty kick for South Korea, a late red card to forward
Francesco Totti and a disallowed goal were among the decisions against
Italy. In their previous two matches, they had four goals disallowed.
"We go out with our heads held high, but with a lot of recriminations,"
Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni said. "If we talk about who should
have won today, I'd say it should be Italy."
South Korea coach Guus Hiddink said there were mistakes, but not grave
ones. Tuesday's match was officiated by Ecuadorean Byron Moreno, who
also worked the United States' first-round win over Portugal.
"We have to turn the page, think about our vacations, and forget about
it all," Totti said. "Unfortunately, not because of us, but because of
the refs."
