Neymar on Gary Medel foul: This is football, not UFC

Roberto Firmino came off the bench to snatch the winner to make it eight straight victories in a disappointing friendly played as part of both teams' Copa America preparations.

However, much of the focus post-match focused on Chile’s treatment of Barcelona superstar Neymar.

Former Cardiff City hard-man Medel was the protagonist of a dour first 45 minutes as he got away with leaving a nasty foot on the Brazilian star - and while the Inter Milan centre-back escaped caution, Neymar was left furious.

"That can't be considered part of the game, no. If we say that is part of the game, then the name [of the sport] is wrong. We can't call it football - we should call it UFC,” bemoaned the 23-year-old.

"But what can we do? The referee didn't see it. He's there but he didn't see it. There are four officials and nobody saw anything.

"I am the one who suffers the pain. I think it is because of the rivalry [between Brazil and Chile], and you end up suffering because of it."

However, Medel was unrepentant and took to Twitter to defend himself.

“Some friction is normal in football,” wrote the Inter midfielder on Twitter accompanied by a picture of the clash.

“It’s just that some make theatre out of it and others play on... It’s a shame not everyone can see that.”

Read the original article on Football Italia - The ultimate website for English-speaking fans of Italian football