Dhe German national soccer player Timo Werner reacted with incomprehension to the penalty kick that was not given in RB Leipzig’s 1: 2 (0: 2) in the Bundesliga game at Union Berlin on Saturday.
“In the game I thought it was a penalty because I felt the contact very clearly. It’s hard to explain,” Werner said on Sky TV, adding: “If you see the pictures, the referee doesn’t need to go out. The man sitting in front of the television could have said quite clearly: ‘He hits you’ – and awarded a penalty. It wasn’t that difficult. (…) If you already have the video assistant, the referee also needs support. It didn’t come. unlucky for us. But in other moments we might be lucky again. I think that will even out over the course of the season.”
There is no clearer penalty, Werner continued. “So we would be leading after 13 minutes and the game would look very different. That’s football: sometimes there are moments when the referee decides against us. However, we must not lose the game like this.”
Berlin’s captain Christopher Trimmel, who hit Werner on the calf, would not have complained if a penalty was whistle. “The contact is definitely there. Timo puts his leg in, I climb on it. A few have whistled for it, ”said the Austrian.
However, referee Deniz Aytekin justified his decision. “You can see it that way. The reason for us on the pitch was that Timo stumbled. The reason why he falls down here was the light touch at the top. It’s a complicated situation,” said the referee. Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco described his exchange with Aytekin in a similar way: “When I asked at half-time, there was talk of a stumble. He hadn’t seen the kick. The nudge was not enough for him.”
The situation could also be evaluated differently, the impartial said later. At the same time, Aytekin emphasized that the referee had the authority to make decisions: “We also have to stop pushing everything to Cologne every time.” He also described the situation to Günter Perl in the Cologne basement accordingly.
“Need to win a game”
Even the great frustration over the denied penalty didn’t prevent Timo Werner from a relentless analysis of Leipzig’s starting crisis. “With all the love in front of the teams, we could actually have won the three games and have two points from games like that. That’s probably not enough,” Werner immediately made the transition from the draw at VfB Stuttgart (1-1) and against 1. FC Köln (2-2) to the sobering 1-2 at Union Berlin.
“I don’t want to say that hard times are coming, but I think we urgently need to win a game,” he demanded on Saturday evening after the defeat in the capital.
Penalty or not? Union’s Christopher Trimmel (right) in a duel with Timo Werner.
:
Image: AFP
Werner now confirmed the harsh choice of words by managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, who had already expressed fundamental criticism before the bankruptcy in Köpenick. “Shitty” might be a very harsh word, said Werner. But: “In the end it was a shitty start,” said the 26-year-old striker about the two meager points after three matchdays in the Bundesliga.
Defense chief Willi Orban indicated fitness deficits, which could also be understood as internal criticism. “You can see that some are not yet at the top level, there are a few percent missing and then it’s just not enough, especially against physically good teams. We have to make sure that we get every player to the top level. That will be very important,” demanded the goalscorer for the ultimately useless connection with a view to the next game against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, who are also still without a win.
Werner and Orban went quite far in their search for the reasons for the fourth 2-1 defeat in the Bundesliga against Union in a row. As always, coach Domenico Tedesco looked sober, confident and smooth, as if he were giving a presentation at a manager seminar. After 20 very bad minutes, he complained that he would have liked to see more possession, but there were no signs of stress or even panic.
He also didn’t want to go into communication with Boss Mintzlaff anymore. “I was asked about it in all interviews, it’s not an issue for us, we try to work in a focused way. We can do that next week too,” promised Tedesco, who then seemed surprised at a moment when Orban reported on a visit to the cabin by club boss Mintzlaff during the week, which he apparently knew nothing about.