Last night, RB Leipzig were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid. But the goal denied to the Germans is controversial. Marco Rose's club cried foul.
This Wednesday morning, RB Leipzig wakes up with a bitter taste. Last night in front of their home crowd, Marco Rose 's team lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in the 1/8 final first leg of the UEFA Champions League . But the result could/should have been different. From the 2nd minute of play, Benjamin Sesko opened the scoring. But the match referee canceled this goal, even though the attacker was not offside. A small charge from Benjamin Henrichs on Andriy Lunin would be at the origin of this highly criticized choice. In Germany, the media and consultants alike cried foul.
A controversial decision
In Spain, opinions were divided. In Catalonia, Sport , a pro-Barça media outlet, wrote: “VAR also helps Madrid in the Champions League ! The referee ruled out a goal against RB Leipzig after two minutes for an alleged offside. Real Madrid also saw how the referees and VAR became their allies from the start of the match. A gift that avoided a cold shower from the start at Real Madrid. " Former Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz, who did not understand why VAR had not intervened, declared on Movistar: "it's crazy to cancel a goal for that. It's not football. »
On the Madrid side, some tried to defend this decision. El Chiringuito spoke about the regulations. Unlike Toni Kroos, who recognized that the goal should have been awarded to Leipzig, Carlo Ancelotti confided: “I see that it bothers the goalkeeper. He was pushing Lunin, I think that's pretty clear. » But in the opposing camp, we are not at all of the same opinion. In the mixed zone, David Raum said: “I think we scored a goal. I don't know why that didn't count. » Ditto for Dani Olmo: “I think this goal is valid. They (the referees, editor’s note) have their reasons. »
Leipzig does not digest
The sporting director of the German club, Rouven Schröder, was also unhappy. “I don’t know what we did wrong by not scoring the goal. It was a bad decision. It would have been a completely different match if it had been 1-0.” The feeling is the same with Marco Rose. At a press conference, the coach returned to this turning point in the meeting. There was no offside or foul. We don't know why this action was invalid. We don't know how the match would have gone, but maybe the referee was a little nervous because it was his first match at this level.
He continues: “I don’t want to make a fuss with the referee. He made mistakes, that's all. If the referee reviews the action with VAR, I am sure he would have awarded the goal and it would have been a decisive action in the match. A match where other incidents of play, such as Dani Carvajal's very limited tackle on Xavi Simons, caused talk. But Rose wants to remember the essentials. “We lost after being very courageous and a goal that should have been validated. We did a lot of things well. A superb goal from Brahim, to whom we gave a lot of space, changed the game. We must accept it. We lacked success in the box. This defeat puts us in a complicated situation, but we can do it . ” With or without the referees, the Leipzig team will only be able to count on themselves when they return.