Elche’s manager Machín, often described in the press simply as Pablo, left the stadium shoulders squared despite the sting of a 2-3 defeat to Betis and the controversy surrounding the match. He conveyed a stubborn resolve, insisting that the fight would go on unbowed, no matter how loud the noise off the field grew. The message was clear: grit remains, and the club will keep pushing forward with every available resource to turn the page on a difficult night.
Soriano, the opposing coach, highlighted the defining moments that mattered most. He noted that his side showed unmistakable pride and courage, demonstrating life in their game plan even when the scoreline was tight. Soriano also praised the team’s mental resilience as they operated with ten men against a full eleven, insisting that the discipline and character were decisive in sustaining their performance. The coach recalled that a particular moment could be read as a turning point, a moment that football fans understand as more than a simple scoring chance, more like a battle won in the margins. He stressed that such scenes are the essence of the sport’s drama and its unpredictability, where every decision can tilt the balance in a heartbeat.
Machín, meanwhile, argued that the sport is drifting away from its traditional rhythm due to VAR, describing it as something different from what players and fans know. He drew a parallel with life itself, where the more voices and authorities try to weigh in, the harder it becomes to reach a unanimous verdict. He shared a frustration many managers feel when technology touches the pulse of the game, suggesting that the flow of the match can feel detached from the human element that makes football special. The sense was that the tools meant to bring clarity can sometimes contribute to ambiguity and a sense of disconnect on the field.
The coach from Elche spoke of heading toward a kind of sport that feels changed, noting that the team had faced genuine damage and a sense of unfairness from certain decisions. He reminded observers of a missed opportunity in the first half when a penalty claim did not receive the same scrutiny or award as some later actions, a contrast that lingered in the minds of players and fans alike. The gist of his message was that the moment mattered, and the team felt the impact of how calls were interpreted in those crucial seconds that shape outcomes on a tight night like this.
Despite the hurdles, Machín expressed confidence that the refereeing decisions, though difficult, did not define the club’s performance. He said the match itself was valuable and that the team had shown enough spirit and organization to be regarded as a formidable opponent in any fixture. The plan had been to impose a level of stability and aggression that would test even strong opponents, and the outcome suggested that Elche could become a challenging proposition for opponents in the days ahead when they are at their best.
In closing, the coach offered a stark, almost blunt metaphor about balance and misbalance that sharpened the point: the scales of fairness often tilt unevenly, and while fans crave equality, the distribution of decisions can feel lopsided. He concluded with a straightforward truth earned on the field: the burden of a game’s heavy moments sits with the team that must carry it forward. The match left a clear impression of resilience, a willingness to keep training, to keep believing, and to keep fighting, no matter how weighty the losses may feel or how loud the debates around them become. It is this persistence that Elche intends to carry into their next challenge, determined to convert criticism into fuel and hope into hard-fought points.