Proud of how team dealt with situation on the pitch, says Petr Kratky after beating Mohun Bagan

Mumbai City boss Petr Kratky refused to comment on the refeereing in the game.

Mumbai City FC locked horns with Mohun Bagan in an intense ISL 2023-24 match, where the Islanders clinched all three points. But, guess what, the man of the match performance in this match was neither of the team’s players. Rather it was the match referee who stole the limelight, when he gave red and yellow cards all over the pitch.

Petr Kratky, Mumbai’s head coach, clinched his first victory as the team’s coach and here’s what he said after the game:

Any Words on the Refereeing?

If this match between Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan would have gone on for another 10 minutes, it would have definitely set a Guinness World Record for most red and yellow cards in a football match. When Petr Kratky was asked whether he has any words for the refereeing, he said, “No, no, not at all. No comments on that. We have to always look for ourselves first. There are circumstances which we have to face and you saw how we dealt with those circumstances. I am very proud of the boys with how they dealt with the situation on the pitch and got three points at home.”

The first-half equaliser

Mumbai City went down to 10 men early on in the game, but the team didn’t back off and rather showed great spirit to score the equaliser just before half time. The coach mentioned, “It’s always difficult when you get one man down, but in football, being in football more than 30 years now, it happens. You just have to be calm and believe in your group. We were the better team by the end of the first half.”

Onto the next one

Mumbai City FC will face Kerala Blasters next away from home, without many of their players. The tactician addressed the issue, “It will not be difficult, because our squad is very good. The people who are waiting for a chance, they will get the chance. It will be a good opportunity for me as well, to see new faces on the pitch.”

An undisciplined act?

When Akash Mishra received the red card, Petr Kratky sacrificed Chhangte. The player wasn’t that happy and looked fuming with the decision. When asked whether he considered the act as an undisciplined one, the Czech coach said, “No, it’s normal. We all want to play. It’s normal, but sometimes you need to take it for the team and he did. So we talked about it after the game and he was fine. There are emotions in the game and inside the players, because they want to play. You can’t blame them if they get upset, but sometimes there are team decisions. Valpuia did a very good job.”

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