Juventus boss Antonio Conte accuses Benfica of time wasting

Juventus manager Antonio Conte has accused Benfica of time wasting during the second leg of the Europa League semi-final between the two sides.

The Italian giants bowed out of the competition 2-1 on aggregate after being held to a 0-0 draw at home, but Conte believes that his team were more worthy finalists.

"We reached for the dream, but we could not make it happen," he told Mediaset Premium. "Benfica were extremely obtrusive and the referee allowed it. This affected us.

"There were only 40 minutes of actual play, and the average is around 60 minutes. There were continuous stops to the game and time wasting, especially in the second half.

"Benfica showed all of their experience, they've been doing this in Europe for a long time and this evening they showed they were able to handle it."

Benfica will meet Spanish side Sevilla in the final.