Chennaiyin FC suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC in Wednesday’s crucial Indian Super League fixture. The loss means Marco Materazzi’s men will need to win their remaining two games if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The home side dominated large parts of the proceeding but the Italian coach felt that his team should have been awarded a penalty.
“What went wrong is that we conceded one goal but we were not given one penalty. In the second half, they were very good on the counter-attack. But that is only because we were attacking all the time”.
“We knew we were forced not to lose this game and we know that we have to win the next two matches to get six points. But, I think that in any case, we have shown that we can battle with every team”, he added.
Materazzi tore into the referee’s performance on the night and said his poor decisions led to his side’s loss on Wednesday.
“In those cases, where the referee doesn’t see that the player is playing volleyball and not football, then there is not much you can do. Once you are down 1-0, it’s very tough to get back in the game. We still believe we can make it to the playoffs and win the next two games”.
“In the first half, they had just two chances and in the second half, they had chances when they were playing 1 against 4. I think the whole game changed when the referee made the mistake. I admit my mistakes when I make them but I think the referee should accept his in this case”.
The Chennaiyin coach, however, did admit that Mumbai were a very compact and quality side and his team were second best on the night.
“Mumbai are a very solid team. They don’t concede much in defence and they are very good in their attacking phases. You have to admit when your opponent is really good. In this case, they were really good”.
There were murmurs doing the rounds about Materazzi’s future as Chennai’s coach. The former Inter Milan defender set the record straight.
“One of your dishonest colleagues was saying that if Chennai don’t make it to the playoffs, I won’t be here for the next season. I have never said these words. This really hurts me. I thought in India, football is not like in many other countries”.
“I thought these things don’t happen here. We never said that and we will never say it. Your colleague should step up and say what he was thinking when he said those words. I am not the only one who decided on my future. I know it’s my responsibly, I have chosen the squad. If the club are still happy with all I’ve done, maybe we can talk about it. It’s not only me who decides. I will always cheer for Chennai”, he concluded.
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