Italian defender Leonardo Bonucci has expressed his fury at the performance of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir during his side’s 1-0 loss to Sweden in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash.

The AC Milan stopper was particularly furious with the challenge of Sweden striker Ola Toivonen which left him with a broken nose.

While speaking with Sky Sport Italia, the former Juventus defender said:

“He broke my nose after 30 seconds and should’ve been sent off. There’s not much you can say other than that.”

“A referee with greater character would’ve sent off at least one of the Swedish players.

“We knew Sweden would play the long ball and flick it on, so they created very little, but we should’ve been quicker when moving the ball around.

“We have to believe in what we’re doing to the last moment of the second leg at San Siro on Monday.” he added.

Italy will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit to avoid missing out on the World Cup for the first time in 60 years (1958 edition).