ISL 2020-21 | Prefer not to speak about referees, exclaims Juan Ferrando

Mumbai City FC locking horns with FC Goa was supposed to be one of the most awaited matches of the season, but it turned out to be a one-sided affair in the end. While the match was going at a favourable pace in the first half, FC Goa’s Redeem Tlang was shown the marching orders in the 40th minute, swaying the game in favour of Mumbai City FC, with them eventually netting the winner in the dying minutes of the match. Distraught with the sending off, FC Goa head coach refused to spare words regarding the refereeing, even though his team worked very hard on Wednesday evening.

“It is difficult to know what happened. The real situation is that team worked a lot. We lost the game in the end. Our focus is now on the next game. I prefer not to speak about referees because everyone knows what is the level (of referees) here is,” said Juan Ferrando, following the defeat.

The Spaniard had to change the game immediately after they were reduced to 10-men, shifting to ‘Plan B’, which was successful to a certain extent, but they succumbed to the pressure created by the Mumbai City FC players eventually. Even though FC Goa have bagged just 1 point in their first two matches, Ferrando insisted that they should keep working hard, even though the start has been good so far.

"It is difficult to play against a good team (with 10 men). Before the red card, it was a beautiful game with two teams trying to play football. After the red, it was necessary to go to plan ‘B’. The plan ‘B’ was good for a bit. It is difficult to talk about stats today. With 10 players it is difficult to play. It is not good. Our mentality is to win three points all the time. The most important thing is to continue working," added Ferrando.