Italy coach Antonio Conte has suggested that Republic of Ireland's 1-0 victory over his side and progression through to the knockout stages of Euro 2016 was more than they deserved.
Ireland outfought an Italian side that had been rotated by Conte before Robbie Brady headed his team's winner with five minutes remaining to earn Ireland a last-16 date with France on Sunday afternoon.
However, while Conte congratulated Ireland on their success, he has hinted that he was not impressed with their playing style while claiming that the conditions in Lille suited the opposition.
The 46-year-old is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "[We played] against a side that played a lot of long balls, there were a lot of powerful tackles. The pitch definitely helped them more than us but they put a lot of grit into this game because it was life and death for them.
"Congratulations to the Republic of Ireland because they really wanted to go through and they were rewarded, perhaps more than they deserved, but they were rewarded nonetheless."
Despite the defeat, Italy remained top of Group E and will now face Spain in the second round on Monday.
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