Rubi: 'It's regrettable that a penalty like that was awarded'

UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' expressed his frustration following his team’s controversial 3-2 defeat to AD Ceuta FC, particularly regarding the 80th-minute penalty awarded. Speaking in the press room at the Alfonso Murube Stadium, Rubi made it clear that he did not understand the referee's decision to award a penalty for the foul between Bonini and Anuar. He also referenced comments made by the AD Ceuta FC head coach after their match in La Coruña, where the latter had stated: 'If you speak out in press conferences, you're respected more.'

Looking visibly upset, Rubi said: 'It's regrettable that a penalty like that was awarded with what's at stake.' He went on to add: 'He didn’t even see it himself. The assistant referee pointed it out.'

The UD Almería gaffer also raised concerns about the lack of intervention from VAR, despite the system being available: 'This time VAR did have the light, but they didn’t want to call it. The expression The squeaky wheel gets the grease is very true,’ Rubi continued, referring to the AD Ceuta FC head coach’s comments about press conferences, implying that vocal criticisms in the media might earn more respect.

Beyond the controversial penalty, the Catalan analysed his team's performance, noting that both sides fielded nearly identical starting line-ups as they had weeks earlier: 'We managed the game with the idea of going all out for the goal from the off, trying to correct some of the mistakes AD Ceuta FC made before the game suspension.'

When reflecting on the goal conceded immediately after the restart, Rubi pointed to an avoidable mistake: 'The problem was that we lost possession very easily on a throw-in and then we couldn’t close down Marcos, who scored a great goal from outside the box.’

Despite the setback, Rubi praised his team's response: 'From then on, I reckon we were the better side. We started creating dangerous situations and getting close to equalising. Soon after, that play came, which threw everything off.’

The Vilassar de Mar native also outlined the Rojiblancos' attacking approach, explaining their strategy for the final stages of the match: 'We had worked on the idea that if we needed a goal, we had to pack the box to deliver crosses because we knew there wasn’t much time left. We tried until the final whistle, but we lacked accuracy and AD Ceuta FC defended very well.’