Pune FC’s first I-League game of the season against Salgaocar FC ended in a 1-1 draw. Despite dominating majority of the proceedings throughout the game, Pune FC were forced to split points after Salgaocar managed to pull level late in the second half.
Speaking at the post-match Press Conference, Pune FC Coach Karim Bencherifa gave his views on the game.
Excerpts;
The equaliser was conceded quite late in the game, your thoughts on that?
It happens at times. I am happy with the way our team played the game and dominated it. It was unfortunate that we conceded the goal, but the game could have gone either way. We also missed a penalty in the first half. Based on the chances we created, I think we deserved all three points from the game. Considering the fact that some of our key players were not involved in the game due to injuries, I am happy with the result in our first away game.
There was a little confusion on the field when the referee awarded a penalty to Pune FC in the first half even after Thongkhosiem Haokip had put the ball into the net. What do you make of that decision?
If the ball went in first, it should have been a goal. The referee shouldn’t have pointed to the penalty spot in the first place. Ironically there was no whistle before the ball went in. The rules are pretty clear, if the ball is in then it is a goal, and you have to penalise the player. If the referee had whistled before the ball went in, then it is a penalty. I couldn’t judge from my position, but we will see the move in detail later on.
Having shared points in the opening game, how do you look forward to the season?
We have a fantastic side with great talent and young players. We are a team which has a lot of Under-23 players and a young team brings a lot of positives. We are really looking forward to the season. We are not settled fully yet, as we still don’t have our full team. But when we get back all the players from injuries along with the foreigners, I think our team will surprise many.
