Juventus boss Antonio Conte has fumed at UEFA delegates in the aftermath of his team's 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray, claiming that the match should have been postponed for a second time.
Both sides reconvened in the Turkish capital this afternoon to contest the remaining 58 minutes of their Champions League clash, which was abandoned on Tuesday due to snow.
Wesley Sneijder struck in the closing stages to book his team's place in the latter stages of the competition, while consigning the Italian giants to a Europa League spot in the process.
However, Conte reveals that both he and Gala boss Roberto Mancini had previously failed in their attempts to postpone the encounter again, asserting that the adverse conditions turned the game into a "football brawl".
Speaking to reporters, the Bianconeri trainer said: "We certainly tried to have the game postponed and met with the UEFA delegate beforehand, but nobody wanted to listen. Roberto Mancini said it was dangerous and I agreed with him.
"At half-time I reiterated to the referee that it was not safe to play in these conditions. Didier Drogba said it was the same thing for both teams, but I pointed out it wasn't, because we were trying to play football.
"I have to praise the lads, as they gave their all in a situation where we were enormously penalised, as the game resorted to a football brawl."
Juventus were knocked out of Europe's premier competition at the quarter-final stage last season, losing 4-0 on aggregate to eventual winners Bayern Munich.
Shane Callaghan
