Two penalties not given! Dortmund stumbles and foams against the referee

In their first away game as leaders, Borussia Dortmund dropped points straight away. After the 1-1 draw in the Ruhrpott derby at VfL Bochum, Dortmund were outraged by referee Sascha Stegemann, who denied them two penalties. This means that Bayern Munich can overtake BVB again with a home win against Hertha on Sunday.

Jude Bellingham and Emre Can roared their anger in the face of referee Sascha Stegemann, Edin Terzic addressed the fourth official. But it was all to no avail: as the hunted in the title race, Borussia Dortmund promptly stumbled – with a relegation candidate.

Dortmund stumbles: Bayern Munich can go back to the top

Two scenes heated the minds of the league leaders: In the 65th minute, Karim Adeyemi was brought down by Danilo Soares in the VfL penalty area. Stegemann allowed play to continue and at the next interruption also refrained from watching the disputed scene on the screen. “Clear penalty, but some decisions were made against us,” said Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. “You can whistle, no question,” admitted Anthony Losilla, who put Bochum ahead after five minutes. Adeyemi (7th) quickly equalized for Dortmund, who besieged the VfL goal more and more vehemently and desperately as the game went on.

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In the 90th minute, Stegemann went to the screen when the BVB kickers complained about a handball that deserved a penalty. After studying the video, however, he decided: no intention, continue playing. In the eighth minute of added time, Jude Bellingham headed wide of the goal, the last of many Dortmund chances. “Only FCB will be German champions,” scoffed Bochum’s fans seconds later. “It’s extremely bitter,” summarized BVB coach Edin Terzic: “Maybe the championship is a unique opportunity and then decisions like this are made.”