Hull City boss Tim Walter expressed dissatisfaction with Reading’s physical approach during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat, suggesting they played as if it were a World Cup final.
Goals from Ben Elliott and Sam Smith secured a solid pre-season win for Ruben Selles’ team, who are gearing up for their League One opener against Birmingham City next week.
The Tigers were frustrated by the aggressive tackles, particularly a rough sliding challenge by teenager Abraham Kanu on Abdus Omur. Ryan Longman, Omur, and Oscar Estupinan all had to leave the field due to clashes with Royals players.
Walter commented to Hull Live, “It’s just a friendly, but they played as if it were the World Cup final. No excuses, but the physicality was excessive, with some harsh tackles that could have been penalized more. It might be their style, but we maintained our own approach and kept playing our game.”
This aggressive approach has been a recurring theme in Reading’s friendlies this summer, with previous matches, such as the home win against Queens Park Rangers, also featuring contentious off-the-ball incidents.
