Ernesto Valverde believes Athletic Bilbao were in control against Malaga until they gave away a penalty.
Valverde declined to criticise referee Mateu Lahoz, either for the award of the spot kick or the decision to disallow what would have been a late equaliser from goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.
Iraizoz powered a header past his Malaga counterpart, only for a free-kick given to Malaga for an infraction.
Luis Alberto had earlier converted from 12 yards to put Malaga ahead, but Javi Gracia’s side were down to nine men with red cards shown to Duda and Antunes.
“The truth is it was a game we tried to control from the beginning,” Marca reports Valverde saying.
“We expected Malaga to surprise on the counter-attack, with very good players.
“We were in control and then unfortunately was the penalty.
We dominated, but lacked depth in the first half and maybe the second, and in the end there were expulsions, a disallowed goal, the penalty, and there’s not much to say.”
On the Iraizoz non-goal, Valverde suggested he didn’t know why the effort was ruled out but didn’t lay into the official.
“Everyone sees it from their perspective and his was that he touches him,” he added.
“It’s difficult for a goalkeeper like Gorka to score a goal like that and have it annulled.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee, he made his decisions. In some he will be right and in others wrong.
“He will have seen something on someone. That’s the feeling we have.”
