Ahmed Jahouh’s red card turning point, says Sergio Lobera
Sergio Lobera has singled out Ahmed Jahouh’s red card at the end of the first half of the extra time to be the sole reason for FC Goa’s demise against Bengaluru FC in the ISL final on Sunday. Goa could hold the Blues till the 116th minute following which a header by Rahul Bheke was the decider.
FC Goa were left heartbroken as they once again missed out on the Indian Super League trophy at the end of a tight final that saw only one goal being the difference. The biggest blow for the Gaurs had come in the 107th minute when BFC striker Miku had fouled Jahouh near the technical area. While the Moroccan international should have handled it maturely, he decided stick out a leg and kick Miku in the process of rolling.
Jahouh was given a second yellow, which resulted in him going off the field. With 10 players remaining, most of whom were exhausted, Goa could only defend while they should have gone toe to toe with the Blues. And Lobera stated Jahouh’s sent-off as a handicap for the side for the rest of the match.
"I think the key moment was that we went one man down (Jahouh’s red card) at the end of the first half of Extra Time. I think it had been a tight game. I felt it was going to be a matter of small details and the sending off was a big handicap for us for the second half," the Gaurs head coach, Sergio Lobera said, at the post-match press conference, reported ISL’s official website.
Although this was Goa’s third defeat against Bengaluru in as many matches in the current season, they did look dominating in the second half, and it looked like the match was heading towards a penalty shootout. Lobera, however, disproved that Bengaluru were the better side on Sunday.
"I think Bengaluru haven’t been better than us. Also, I think we haven’t been better than Bengaluru. I think it has been a very tight final. It’s tough losing the game this way. I think we have played a very good game. I’m very proud of the work done by my players. We also were facing a great team. And for me, it was a game that anyone could have won."
Get updates! Follow us on
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments