Giorgio Chiellini was in a playful mood with Jordi Alba before Italy’s shootout win against Spain (Reuters)Giorgio Chiellini has played down his incident with Jordi Alba after being accused of ‘bullying’ Spain’s captain before Italy’s penalty shootout victory in the Euro 2020 semi final. The game went to penalties after it ended 1-1 in extra time and during the coin toss to determine which end the penalties would be taken, Chiellini began a playful exchange with Alba. Alba didn’t appear to be a huge fan of Chiellini’s demeanour as he reluctantly hugged the 36-year-old before re-joining his Spain teammates. But Chiellini insists he was only joking with Alba after he mistakenly assumed that the penalties would be taken in front of the Spanish fans. ‘A lot more has been said than what actually happened in reality,’ Chiellini said in an interview with the Italian Football Federation.

Source: Metro July 09, 2021 12:00 UTC