Pedrinho sidelines referee talk, toughens message to squad after Vasco’s Audax Italiano defeat | OneFootball

Pedrinho delivered a sharper dressing-room message after Vasco’s Copa Sul-Americana defeat, prioritising performance over refereeing debates, according to Globo.com.

JP was unjustly sent off in the first half, the midfielder suffered a foul but was shown a second yellow card as number 98. Even so, Vasco went ahead with one man fewer, then failed to hold the lead as Audax’s first goal came on a counter after several Vasco players piled forward.

After Tuesday’s second-round loss to Audax Italiano at São Januário, the president gathered players and staff and took the floor with a more critical tone. He felt the side played below its level even at 11 against 11, and that the reserves had the quality to do better.

The board consider the defeat to the Chileans unacceptable, and the message to the squad was that Uruguayan referee Hernan Heras’s decisions could not be used as a crutch.

Renato Gaúcho agreed with the assessment and endorsed the president’s words, but left the post-match address to Pedrinho. The president is often with the squad in the dressing room, though he does not always speak, and did so this time due to irritation at the display.

Source: Globo.com