Cardiff defeat as tough as they come - Mathew Ryan

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Mathew Ryan was angered by Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City and said it was 'as tough as they come'.
Mathew Ryan shouts instructions at Cardiff. Picture by PW Sporting PhotographyMathew Ryan shouts instructions at Cardiff. Picture by PW Sporting Photography
Mathew Ryan shouts instructions at Cardiff. Picture by PW Sporting Photography

A last-minute Sol Bamba goal gave the Bluebirds all three points and although Ryan said the Seagulls only had themselves to blame, he was also frustrated with some of the refereeing decisions.

On the defeat, he said: "It's as tough as they come, to be honest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We've only got ourselves to blame, really. There were a couple of big moments in the game and the goals we conceded were just too soft and it's disappointing."

Dale Stephens was sent off just past the half-hour mark with the score 1-1 and Ryan said: "I was quite a fair way away but obviously Dale made the decision to go to ground.

"The boys were talking about if afterwards that he gets the ball quite a fair bit of time before he touches their player.

"It's just the referee's interpretation of how it is. I'm not sure where his position was when the tackle came in but there were a lot of soft fouls that went their way today.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The 50-50s you're used to seeing in England let go, he was whistling them a little bit more and it's a refereeing error from what we understand for the second goal as it was offside.

"We're a bit disappointed in that but at the end of the day we've got to look at ourselves. The game played out that way and we've got to deal with those situations."

Ryan was also frustrated that Albion didn't push on after taking an early lead through Lewis Dunk's sixth-minute goal.

He said: "We'd got on the front foot and scored a goal but we've got a pattern of scoring the first goal and sitting back a little bit.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It's frustrating not going on and making life easier for ourselves by getting the second.

"It was a good start but the first goal we conceded was soft. We had plenty of our players around the ball and just one of their players and he still manages to find a way to get the ball into the box, then a little deflection and it falls their way but you create your own luck.

"They took their chance and their second one was what it was."

HAVE YOU READ?