Striker Erling Haaland was angered by referee Felix Zoer for his decision not to award a penalty kick to Borussia Dortmund in their 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in a decisive clash at the top of the Bundesliga table on Saturday.
Dortmund received two penalties in a match that also saw coach Marco Rose sent off with a second reservation for objection, but referee Zuer refused both times to review plays, most notably when winger Marco Reus fell in the penalty area after a struggle. With opposition defender Lucas Hernandez.
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“I think it was scandalous when it came to judgment,” Haaland told ViaPlay. “I asked him [Zwayer] “Why didn’t you just go and look?” He said: No need.
“I want to calm down a bit now. He was arrogant and I won’t say more.”
However, Bayern got a break when Robert Lewandowski scored the disputed penalty kick in the 78th minute, after referee Zuer awarded the penalty after a VAR check. Zuer Mats Hummels was penalized for a handball after a corner kick by Serge Gnabry hit the elbow of the Dortmund defender as he appeared to stumble.
Zuer said he saw Hummels’ elbow coming into contact with the ball, but he wasn’t sure if the elbow was inside or outside the elbow, so he checked the video. He said it was not necessary to verify Ríos’ appeal against the death penalty because he had a clear view of the incident and that the video ruling seen in Cologne did not conflict with his decision.
“I had a very clear and unmistakable impression that was finally verified and also confirmed on screen in Cologne,” said Zuer.
Dortmund midfielder Emre Can also explained his frustration with the referee after the match, saying: “It’s a shame that such a bad penalty is what defines the match. I’m sorry I have to say that.”
“I’m standing here and talking again about the referee’s decision. We played a great match today and then it happens.”
Dortmund’s Julian Brandt opened the scoring when he found the top right corner of the goal in the fifth minute, before Bayern striker Thomas Muller chased after a bad touch from Hummels to form Lewandowski, who equalized.
Bayern’s Kingsley Coman put his team ahead after the end of the first half with a shot that changed direction, but Haaland responded in the second half to equalize the score.
Lewandowski – who was ranked the top striker on ESPN FC 100 – then scored a penalty, his eleventh league goal in eight games this season.
On the two disputed calls over Dortmund in the match, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said: “I think we deserved to win but I also understand the discussions about my penalty situation.”
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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