Despite the clear frustration among his players regarding the winning goal, Flick refused to hide behind the referee's decision during his post-match press conference. When asked about the potential foul on Kounde, the German coach admitted it looked like a foul but insisted that using it as an alibi would be wrong.
"What do you think? A foul, right? No need to say anything more," he said, later adding: "If we had played well, I could criticize the decision... but I don't want it to be used as an excuse."
On the other side, Girona boss Michel was quick to defend the legitimacy of his team's victory, dismissing the idea that the result hinged on a single whistle. "I think it’s unfair to talk about just one play after the spectacle we saw," Michel argued.