Igor Oca: “Two mistakes cost us the chance to compete”

C.D. Leganés coach Igor Oca held a press conference following the Blue-and-Whites’ 2-0 loss to U.D. Las Palmas on Matchday 36 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION. Here’s how the Pepinero coach assessed the various aspects of the match:

Match: “The two goals we conceded don’t do justice to what actually happened in the match. It’s rare for Las Palmas to be outplayed by the opponent and look so down and out. A mistake on a cross from the wing when we needed to step up our marking, and just when we were playing our best—that situation where we failed to manage as a unit—being a man down really affected us and took away our chance to compete. At certain points in the match, the players performed very well, but it’s hard to convey that through a 2-0 score.”

Penalty on Duk: "It’s something I don’t agree with the referee on; he explained it to me politely, but I saw it and there was contact. They called him over to look at it, he saw it, and decided it wasn’t a penalty after spending a long time reviewing the situation. For me, it’s a penalty, but there’s nothing we can do. His explanation is that it’s marginal, that there’s slight contact, that it’s not reckless, but there is contact—he brings him down. For me, it’s a penalty, but that’s his explanation, and he’s the one in charge. He was given the chance to reverse what I believe was a bad decision, but in the end, he stuck with it, and there’s not much else we can do.”

Possession: “Yes, I don’t think the result reflects Leganés’ performance. We caused them more damage than the score suggests. It’s rare to see Las Palmas spend so much time without the ball and so close to their own goal.”

Franquesa and Ignasi Miquel: “Enric has a tendon issue, so we ultimately decided to leave him out of the lineup. We believe Ignasi’s injury was caught in time—it was just a warning sign. Let’s hope it doesn’t develop into a full-blown injury, but at this point, we can’t say anything for sure yet.”