Should Köln have had a penalty? BVB respond to controversy | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund wins 2-1 at 1. FC Köln, but a controversial scene in stoppage time sparks major debate. In particular, a possible handball in the penalty area infuriates the Köln side – and even at BVB, there are some surprising comments about it.

Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 away win at 1. FC Köln quickly faded into the background on Saturday evening. Instead of talking about the three points, the main topic after the final whistle was a controversial scene in stoppage time – which caused great anger among the Köln players.

In the 95th minute, Köln had one last chance to equalize. A cross sailed into the Dortmund penalty area, where Yan Couto touched the ball with an outstretched arm. Referee Daniel Siebert let play continue, and the VAR did not intervene either.

For the Köln side, this was hardly understandable. Midfielder Tom Krauß vented his frustration after the match and said, according to RUHR24: “For me, the ball clearly hits the hand. […] Everything is at stake here. I honestly can't understand it anymore.” Managing director Thomas Kessler also sharply criticized the decision. “That is a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. That this isn’t seen – I have absolutely no understanding for it,” he said on Sky.

BVB responds to penalty debate: Ricken shows understanding

Even before halftime, there had been a VAR decision against Effzeh: Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was shown a red card after a video review for a kick against Maximilian Beier. Köln coach Lukas Kwasniok subsequently criticized the increasing lack of clarity in the use of the video assistant: “With VAR, we have more and more people who have something to say. But with that comes more and more uncertainty.”

Photo: IMAGO

The reaction from Dortmund was also remarkable. BVB managing director Lars Ricken admitted: “That could have been called.” Coach Niko Kovac also showed understanding for the hosts’ frustration. “I would have complained too,” said the BVB coach after the match.

On the sporting side, Serhou Guirassy (16th minute) and Maximilian Beier (60th) had put Dortmund in the lead. Köln pulled one back through Jakub Kaminski (88th), but the late equalizer did not come. So, after the final whistle, almost everything revolved around the controversial scene in stoppage time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.