Penalty, Khabra’s red killed the game, says Bengaluru coach Roca

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Bengaluru, October 18: Within five minutes of making the AFC Cup final, FC Istiklol coach Mukhsin Mukhamadiev was already at the media conference room. His answer to the first question of the post-match presser was muddled in ruckus of the team's celebrations down below.

In stark contrast, Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca and skipper Sunil Chhetri replied to a silent environment. Despite a spirited performance, they went down 2-3 on aggregate in their AFC Cup Inter-Zonal Final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday (October 18).

What's more, an early penalty, a dubious decision to say the least, killed their come-back hopes. They had to then play the rest of the second half with 10 men after Harmanjot Khabra received a second booking and was subsequently given the marching orders.

Roca was understandably not pleased - with the refereeing as well as the misfortune of his team.

"The referees' decisions can make or break everything," Roca said.

"We were prepared for a game. And then with this action (penalty decision in the second minute) and then the red card, which resulted in us playing more than 50 minutes with a player less, it wasn't possible. It was very difficult and I'm sad for my team and the players. They did their best and gave their all. The referees weren't good. If they can't do well in such a crucial match, there's nothing we can do. We can't control the situation."

Roca also felt the second yellow to Harmanjot Khabra was a game-changing moment. "I don't want to blame Khabra," Roca added.

"He's my player and it's a shame (that he had to go off). He knows it was wrong and it happens in every game. The referee made big mistakes in these two legs. But it was an important moment. The penalty (in the first leg which was denied to us) would've given us a different (superior) position in the game. And just when we started this game (fresh), you saw what happened. Everyone has seen that it wasn't an easy game for us. That's football and we've to accept the rules."

Earlier, Mukhamadiev confirmed that he had instructed his team to begin with a positive approach.

"At the end of two games, we were the stronger team," he said. "The first aim was to score an away goal here in the Bengaluru pitch. We knew that they couldn't score three against us later (to win the game). After we scored the second goal, we knew we would make it to the final.

"We watched a lot of Bengaluru FC's games. We know they like to play a passing game. The aim for us during this match was to cash in on the counter attack and I think the team made it."