Following Moldova’s 2-1 defeat to France in their Euro 2020 qualifier, coach Engin Firat did not hide his frustration, expressing both pride and anger after the match. The Turkish manager acknowledged the difficulty of the game, emphasizing the pressure his team faced while also criticizing the refereeing decisions.
“There are two feelings,” Firat said. “On one hand, I’m proud to have given my all because the atmosphere was difficult to manage, and there was a lot of pressure. On the other hand, I’m not happy with the refereeing. Referees are often biased toward the host countries against smaller teams, and that’s not acceptable. They broke our motivation, even though France is a strong team. We could have earned points, but France is still the world champion. I’m proud, but I would have liked to have had a point.”
Firat was particularly critical of the equalizing goal, which he claimed involved an “alleged” foul on his goalkeeper. “I received no explanation from the referee. It’s impossible not to see that foul. In the locker room, I received many messages about the equalizer, which was unfair because the player ran into my goalkeeper. It’s unacceptable! Despite that, I would still like to thank Didier Deschamps for this match,” he added.
The defeat leaves Moldova disappointed, but Firat’s comments highlight his belief that his team could have secured a better result if not for controversial officiating. While proud of his players’ effort and resilience, the coach remains vocal about perceived injustices that affected the outcome.
