I don't want to comment on referees says Antonio Habas

Atletico de Kolkata head coach Antonio Habas

Atletico de Kolkata boss Antonio Habas said in his post-match press conference that he doesn’t want to comment on the decisions the referee made during his team’s 1-0 defeat to Delhi Dynamos. Atletico de Kolkata must feel robbed after Delhi Dynamos got away with a couple of reckless fouls during the game.

Delhi Dynamos defender Chicao was lucky to stay on the pitch after he stamped Doutie high on the chest, and the referee failed to take any action against the defender. Anas too made a rash challenge on Iain Hume that left him bleeding, but the referee instead showed Iain Hume a yellow card for protesting.

Habas said, “I don't want to comment on the referees. Whenever I have spoken about referees, I got punished.”

Antonio Habas was also not happy with the fact that many of his players are out injured. Helder Postiga has still not played since scoring a brace in the first game against Chennaiyin FC while Arata Izumi and Javi Lara also missed the game due to injuries. Iain Hume has failed to impress in the absence of Helder Postiga and is yet to score a goal this season.

“We didn't have Arata Izumi and Javi Lara, who has a groin problem. Iain is a very important player for us, but for the last three games we have had no goals. This is the situation and we have to find a solution.

“We need to recover the team's mentality. We have lost three games and now need to rejuvenate the team's morale. Our target is to win the remaining matches.”

Match-winner Dos Santos added pace to the attack: Roberto Carlos

Delhi Dynamos, who were down to ten men after Souvik Chakrabarti was sent off in the 81st minute, surprisingly won the game after Gustavo Dos Santos, who came on as a substitute, scored in the 93rd minute. Roberto Carlos explained his decision to use Dos Santos as an impact substitute in the game.

Carlos said, “Teams often slow down in the second half. Dos Santos is very fast, and he has a lot of qualities and abilities. He came in and added the extra bit of pace. I would like to congratulate Kolkata as it was a difficult game and a very important three points for us.”

Roberto Carlos also thanked the Atletico de Kolkata supporters for the warm welcome he received in the second half when he came on to replace John Arne Riise.

“I'd like to thank the supporters of Atletico de Kolkata for the love and I am very happy to have played today. The game was hard for us when we started because to get the rhythm, it takes a while,” he said.