Sevilla Defender Juan Iglesias: Sangante Should Not Have Been Sent Off

Sevilla defender Juan Iglesias spoke after the match about Lucas Sangante's sending-off and the team's 1-1 away draw against Espanyol.

The referee once again became a focus point in this match. Sangante was sent off shortly after the start of the second half for a controversial challenge, and VAR did not intervene. After going down to 10 men, the away side scored first through Lucas Stassin, while Marcos Fernandez equalized for the hosts in the final stages, with the match ending 1-1.

Speaking to Movistar LaLiga after the match, Juan Iglesias said: “I could see it very clearly from behind. Sangante touched the ball first, and the referee also told us that he got the ball first, although later his foot may also have made contact with him. This is already a matter of interpretation of the decision. The key point is that he touched the ball first, and the action should have stopped there. This was not a challenge that deserved a red card.” The Sevilla defender complained.

Speaking about the bitter draw, he said: “We did something very difficult, which was to recover after what I consider an unfair red card. I think Sangante very clearly got to the ball first. I was right there watching, and even the referee himself knew that he touched the ball. He interpreted it in another way, and I disagree. Apart from that, I want to congratulate the team. Everyone fought extremely hard throughout the match. It is a somewhat bitter result, but the team's effort today was still outstanding.”

Speaking about the resilience shown while playing with one fewer player, he said: “I think this is the spirit this team has been working on all along, never giving up on any ball, whether we are playing with 10, 11, or 9 players. Today we proved that we can score even with one player less, and we almost took the win away from home. We should remember this.”

Speaking about the multiple stoppages during the match, he said: “In my view, the added time was too long. We were always trying to keep the game moving quickly, but then there were another five or six minutes of VAR review... This is something that really needs to be considered again, and everyone still needs to keep improving in this area.”

Regarding the start in which the team collected seven points from 12 available, he said: “It is very good. I think the team's work has been excellent. There are many new players in the squad, but we adapted quickly. The better thing is that this team still has a lot of room for improvement, and there are many things we can continue to learn in the future.”