Most coaches would not talk about the referee's work when they benefit from a questionable call by the man with the whistle, but not Pep Guardiola.
The Spanish coach aimed a slight dig at Raheem Sterling for not telling referee Viktor Kassai that there was no foul against him by Mykola Matviyenko and that he had hit the ground instead.
Speaking in the post-match interview with BT Sport, Guardiola stated how himself and his staff knew from the start that the dive did not merit a penalty.
"We knew immediately that there was no foul there. Raheem should have told the referee. We are not happy to have scored that way," Guardiola said.
Sterling hit the ground while trying to score with a chipped ball against Shakhtar, but the ref saw a foul from Matviyenko and awarded the penalty. (Image might be geo-restricted).
ANTEOJOS PARA EL ÁRBITRO#ChampionsxFOX | Raheem Sterling quiso definir ante la salida del arquero, pateó el césped y Viktor Kassai cobró penal ante la increduilidad de todos los jugadores Shakhtar Donetsk. pic.twitter.com/i8fvUUJs7R
— FOX Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) November 7, 2018
His boss, Pep, urged UEFA to take proper actions to help referees, such as introducing the Video Assistant Referee as soon as possible.
"The game nowadays is really quick. It would only take someone ten seconds to give a referee some advice," Guardiola added.
The Citizens now need one point in their next two games to seal their spot in the next stage of the UEFA Champions League. Their next game will see Guardiola's men travel to France to face Lyon, while their last game in Group F will see them lock horns against Hoffenheim.
