The DFB have provided statements on the two penalty claims for Borussia Dortmund in their 1-1 draw against Bochum on Friday night.
In the 65th minute, Danilo Soares tackled Karim Adeyemi in the box and was not given as a penalty, the statement says: “The defender jumps sideways from behind with both legs into a duel for the ball. He does not play the ball, instead only hits the opponent and brings him down. This is a foul and thus a penalty kick, as the TV pictures also prove. The expectation must remain that such operations will be properly decided by the referee on the pitch without the need for support from the video assistant.”
The second was the ball hitting Bochum’s Erhan Masovic arm in the box in the 90th minute. The DFB says: “The defender tries to block a shot with his right leg ahead. However, the ball goes against the left leg and over the upper body to the left upper arm, which in this movement sequence is not classified by the referee as an unnatural enlargement of the body surface, but as a natural movement to support the body in the fall movement. This evaluation of the process by the referee is comprehensible from the point of view of the TV images.”
Dortmund went behind early on through a long-range effort from Anthony Losilla before they were able to reply instantly through Adeyemi. However, Dortmund did not prove to be clinical in front of goal and missed several big chances.
The draw means Dortmund must now rely on Bayern slipping up in one of their remaining five games to put their fate in their own hands once again. Bayern’s next game is against relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin and they will want to be bouncing back after their 3-1 loss to Mainz last weekend.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
