MBSG vs EBFC: 'That's Not A Goal! Crazy By Referee!' Says East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat On Mohun Bagan Late Equaliser

Add as a preferred source on Google

MBSG vs EBFC: East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat minced no words in criticising referee Rahul Gupta for allowing the late equaliser by Dimitri Petratos as Mohun Bagan held East Bengal for a 2-2 draw in ISL's Kolkata Derby on Saturday (February 3).

Petratos (87') scored the late equaliser for Mohun Bagan after Cleiton Silva's penalty goal at the 55th minute gave East Bengal the lead in the second half. Carles Cuadrat felt that MBSG's Sahal Abdul Samad committed a foul on Nandhakumar Sekar in the move that led to Petratos's goal.

"That was absolutely crazy by the referee, that goal should never have been allowed," Cuadrat told official broadcasters Sports18 right after the match. "It was a foul by Sahal on Nandha and the referee should have given it but he let the play continue and leads to the goal."

Carles Cuadrat further added that East Bengal were robbed of two points while the replays suggest that Sahal Abdul Samad did make contact with Nandha inside the box using his hands before Nandha went down and lost the ball. Sahal then put the ball into the box, which was intercepted by EBFC defender Maher Hijazi but the loose ball nicely fell to Petratos to fire into the net to send the Mohun Bagan stands into a frenzy.

"It's our first-ever point in a Kolkata Derby in ISL but it should have been three points if not for the poor decision by the referee. It's the hard work that my boys put in the field today and I am proud of that but we deserve those three points," said Carles Cuadrat.

Fingers were pointed at the penalty goal of Cleiton Silva too as some felt that Deepak Tangri's foul inside the box on Naorem Mahesh Singh at the 53rd minute was not fair. However, many experts believed that it was a clear foul and a deserved penalty kick.

The remaining two goals of the game came in the first half when Ajay Chhetri, starting as a surprise striker, scored at the near post from the first touch following a pin-point cross by fullback Nishu Kumar from the left flank in the third minute!

Armando Sadikou equalised from his first touch in the 17th minute as he calmly slotted in a telling cross by Brendan Hamill from the right wing.