PASADENA, Calif -- The scoreless draw on Saturday between Brazil and Ecuador could have had a different outcome if not for a controversial play that occurred at the 66th minute.
Ecuadorian striker Miller Bolaños sent a cross very close to the endline that Brazil goalkeeper Alisson mishandled and bounced into the net.
However, assistant referee Christian Schieman had already waved off the goal as it was thought that the ball passed the endline before Bolaños' cross.
For Ecuador, it was a legitimate goal.
"I’m angry. It was a legitimate goal, I have seen it several times, and unfortunately they made a mistake once again with supposedly a weaker opponent," said coach Gustavo Quinteros at the postgame press conference at the Rose Bowl.
"I saw the video like 25 times, and the ball didn’t pass the end line, maybe 60 percent, but not all the way."
Quinteros was very critical about the referee’s decision, arguing that if that same play were in Brazil’s favor, the situation would have been completely different.
"What surprises me the most is how the assistant referee is so sure in raising the flag when he is 50 or 60 meters away from the play. If the situation was the opposite, I have no doubt that the flag was not going to be raised.
"After a great effort we made, not validating us a legitimate goal is very hard for us to take," added Quinteros.
Bolaños agreed with Quinteros and said the ball never passed the end line, a decision that hurt Ecuador greatly.
"I saw the ball inside, that’s why I celebrated the goal," said Bolaños, a former Chivas USA player who currently plays for Brazilian side Gremio.
"Then I realized that assistant referee had the flag up. The ball did not cross the endline, but this is soccer, we got a good result and that’s all it matters."
Although for many a scoreless draw seems a complicated result for either team, after Peru defeated Haiti 1-0 in the other Group B game on Saturday, Quinteros believed Ecuador still has an opportunity to make a great performance in the Copa America Centenario.
"It's the second time in history that Ecuador tied Brazil in a Copa America, so the result is important,” said Quinteros.
“We started the tournament in good shape, we are happy with the result.”
