Director of rugby Richard Cockerill admitted to being "amazed" at a penalty-try decision that nearly ended Leicester Tigers' quest for European glory.
Referee Alain Rolland awarded Treviso five points when a first-phase driving maul was pulled down by Julian Salvi a full 10 metres from the Tigers line.
With laws stating that a try must "probably have been scored" for a penalty-try to be awarded, it was a huge call from Rolland.
The decision allowed the Italians to level the scores at 7-7 after half-an-hour and could have been the difference between Tigers topping the group or being all-but out.
Rolland is no stranger to controversy after famously sending off Wales flanker Sam Warburton just 19 minutes into the World Cup semi-final against France last year.
Cockerill was not the only one critical of Rolland's latest performance as a stream of Leicester fans took to social networking sites to voice their displeasure during and after the game.
"I felt the referee was against us a fair bit. I doubt I will ever see a more bizarre penalty try against us," said Cockerill said. "I was just amazed.
"I have been playing the game for 30 years and coaching for 10 years and I have never seen anything like it in my whole life.
"It that (try) had been given for us, I would have sat there in embarrassment.
"It's all down to interpretations but what about the series of scrums at the end where we have to have several scrums to get our reward?"
Cockerill was referring to the numerous penalties Treviso conceded in the scrum late on as Tigers pushed for a game-winning score.
Eventually, Rolland awarded Leicester a penalty try – but it could have come a lot earlier.
As it was, the late score gave Tigers a four-point haul, which put them top of Pool Two after the Ospreys beat Toulouse.
Cockerill paid tribute to his team for hanging in there in wet and heavy conditions and against a Treviso side determined to end this season's win-less run in the competition.
"We are relieved to win because everything went against us and Treviso played exceptionally well," said Cockerill.
"They are a good side. They have 18 players in the Italian squad. They were committed, have a good set-piece and we were lucky to get away with the victory.
"But congratulations to our lads too for digging in and playing to the death. We didn't take lots of the opportunities we created but they were horrendous conditions.
"I would never doubt the effort of our players. But we knew if we kept playing, an opportunity would come."
