Matty Cash
Matty Cash (Image: Photo by Morgan Harlow/Getty Images)
Matty Cash claims Aston Villa need to get used to the way referees manage games in Europe, after a controversial decision cost them a win against Juventus. Speaking about the moment where a last-second 'goal' was disallowed, leaving the match with Villa goalless, Cash tried to defuse the controversy and even went as far as supporting the referee.
The right-back had been close to ref Gil Manzano when he ruled a foul on 'keeper Michele Di Gregorio, who had mishandled Youri Tielemans's free-kick, leading to what could have been a winning goal by Morgan Rogers. The official halted the celebrations due to Di Gregorio being impeded by Diego Carlos, causing confusion at Villa Park.
It took a VAR check, which wasn't immediately communicated, to confirm that no goal was awarded, ultimately resulting in a draw. Cash said: "The referee was stood near me, so I could see he had blown. I didn't run over and celebrate, because I knew. But I don't think anyone else knew it wasn't a goal.
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"Obviously, European football is a little bit different. No disrespect to the referees but you probably have a lot more fouls in European football, as we found out last year in the Conference League.
"You have to adapt. You can't really touch a lot of players now, or it's a foul. I said to the referee tonight, it is difficult, in big games managing every situation. We all make mistakes and sometimes the refs are going to make mistakes.", reports the Mirror.
"That is just football, you know. We are all humans. We all make mistakes and he has a big job tonight refereeing the big game. It is difficult. They try to do as well as they can and we do as well. Overall, it was fair."
Another key moment was Emi Martinez's save midway through the second half, ensuring Villa kept a clean sheet. The Argentine keeper managed to twist his body to the right to block Francisco Conceicao's close-range header at the back post following a right-wing corner. Cash added: "Yeah, it was an unbelievable save. To be honest I did think it was in but yes, it was unbelievable. Mind you, that's what he is there for, he's a goalie."
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