Banza: Manzano's Surprise Trio of Decisions Shakes Up the Match

Al Jazira player Simon Banza expressed confusion over Spanish referee Gil Manzano's decisions during their 1-1 draw with Al Ain, particularly the cancellation of his first-half goal despite believing the foul was committed against him rather than by him. The match ended the eighth round of the ADNOC Pro League at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

"Those moments were extremely confusing for me and my teammates," Banza told local media. "But I now prefer to focus on what we can improve on the pitch, rather than getting caught up in refereeing decisions that have become part of football."

The striker described a chaotic sequence where the referee made three separate decisions on a single play. For the disallowed goal, Banza explained that the Al Ain player was constantly pressing and blocking his movement, but he managed to regain his balance, beat the defender, and score.

"The goal cancellation wasn't clear to me, which caused some frustration for the players," he said. "But referee decisions remain part of football and we must move forward."

The confusion deepened with a second disallowed goal involving VAR review. Banza noted that the referee initially didn't award the goal, then reversed his decision after reviewing the footage, before canceling it again. He said players received no logical explanation for the final decision, adding to their bewilderment on the pitch.

Despite entering the match with a winning mentality, Al Jazira found themselves responding to an Al Ain goal scored during a period when they controlled play. The team showed determination by equalizing, though they couldn't find the winner despite creating chances and earning a penalty that they failed to convert.

"We didn't have luck in scoring the winning goal," Banza said. "The team played well against a strong opponent like Al Ain. Despite missing the penalty, we delivered a great performance and will continue working to improve our output."

Banza emphasized that such situations require players to maintain focus and not let external decisions affect their performance. He expressed satisfaction with the team's collective effort, highlighting the fighting spirit and commitment to team play throughout the match.