Guwahati, Oct 9: On Saturday evening, everything seemed perfect as the NorthEast United FC boys gave their best to offer a tough fight against Durand Cup winner Bengaluru FC (BFC) in their inaugural match of the ISL 2022-23.
Then came the moment which ruined everything. It was injury time and Jon Gaztanaga struck a shot from outside the box in injury time to beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to draw parity. But as he ran off in celebration, the goal was ruled out.
And if that was not enough, as the players and staff gathered around the referee following that overturning, head coach Marcos Balbul was given a red card.
"ROBBED ON ROAD. Game of nearlies for the Highlanders; will bounce back stronger! Poor refereeing is a disgrace to the beautiful game!" tweeted The Highlanders Brigade.
The Highlanders defender Aaron Evans went on to say: "Please explain to me how this isn't awarded a goal… India referees?" Evans tweeted quoting the video of the goal.
The Highlanders Brigade further said: "The way you guys took the game to them was impressive. Know that we're extremely proud of each one of you. Be disappointed, but bounce back even harder."
Earlier, Bengaluru FC's central defender Alan Costa was the scorer for them, heading in from a corner in the 87th minute as both teams switched to attacking shapes towards the end of a game that was 0-0 for the most part.
The end of the game had a different pace from the first half, which saw both teams finding chances to take the lead, with neither being able to break the deadlock. The home team dominated possession in the first half, with 57% of the ball turning into five shots at goal, but only one of them on target.
"That was a clear goal. How can someone deny it? Spending lots of money but couldn't afford VAR. Shame. Common @NEUtdFC!! Played well and good wishes for the session. @IndSuperLeague #neufc," tweeted Bedanta Deka, a fan.
Proud of the way we played: NorthEast United FC assistant coach Paul Groves later said that they are proud of their game.
"I think you have to take the whole 90 minutes as a whole. And certainly, with regards to how we played, the amount of chances that we created, I thought we more than deserve to win the game. I think if you create that many chances against the team that perhaps got the best home record in the league, I think you come away very disappointed because of the fact that the goal was ruled out and that we didn't convert some of the chances. But the players can be proud of what they produced tonight," Paul Groves said during the post-match press conference.
NEUFC next plays against defending champion Hyderabad FC in Guwahati on October 13.