ISL 2020-21: Juan Ferrando rues poor referring as reason for FC Goa's loss against ATK Mohun Bagan

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 17, 2020, 10:42 AM IST

FC Goa succumbed to a 0-1 loss to ATK Mohun Bagan, as it turned out to be their second loss in six games, while they stay on sixth. For ATK, it was their fourth win of the season in six games, as they have risen to the second spot in the table, behind Mumbai City FC, on goal difference.

ATK Mohun Bagan's fine run in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) continues, as they edged past FC Goa 1-0 on Wednesday. The win took ATK to the second place, while Goa stayed on sixth.

As for the sole goal of the match, it came through a penalty, conceded by Aibanbha Dohling. ATK's Roy Krishna successfully converted it, as it was enough thereon to frustrate the visitors with the defence, to stay put with the lead and walk away with the three points.

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Following the game, Goa's head coach, Juan Fernando, blamed poor referring, besides also imputing crunch scheduling, leading to a slow-paced match. "A lot people back in Spain watched this game and asked me if this is a joke. It's incredible. Even in our last game, against Odisha FC, two penalties were clear [which were not awarded]. Even today, the penalty against Ortiz was clear. I have 20 players in dressing room crying because they are hard-working. I don't have a lot of time. We have four games in 20 days. We don't have a lot of time and it is important for us to recover. In the end, now we know that the final score does not depend on us," he said.

ALSO READ: Roy Krishna's sole strike hands ATK Mohun Bagan win against FC Goa

"Not only today. It's been the same in the last 3-4-5 games [poor refereeing]. In two days, we will be back here to play Chennaiyin FC. No time to recover. The final score does not depend on us and now, everyone knows. It's repeating. Maybe, everyone is laughing and making a joke, but I am not so happy. We now decide what happens in the future about the league, if we decide to continue with these referees. You know what happened at the end," added Fernando.

"Firstly, about Brandon, he was ill the last two days. It was a similar situation with Edu Bedia before the Odisha FC game. Brandon missed a training and we decided to protect him. It's the same with Ortiz as well. We need to protect our players because we played last Saturday, played today, will play again on Saturday and then, on next Wednesday," Fernando continued.

"If we play everyone for 90 minutes, then we will surely have injuries in the future. For us, it is very important to protect the players. If we have five days between games, then no worries. But, we don't have time and we need to protect Ortiz, Edu, Brandon and then, next Sat, we will need to protect another player because we play again on Wednesday. If I lose two-three foreign players to injuries, then imagine what happens. They have contracts and are paid salaries to play and not stay in the hospital or in their rooms. I am happy with all the players because they all worked hard, but I am disappointed with the score," concluded Fernando.

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