The very late penalty for Bayer 04 Leverkusen to make it 2-2 in the Bundesliga top game at FC Bayern was met with criticism and incomprehension on the Munich side. Coach Thomas Tuchel described the penalty, which was only awarded after video evidence after a duel between Bayern defender Alphonso Davies and Bayer attacker Jonas Hofmann, as “super soft”. Exequiel Palacios, with strong nerves, converted from the point to the final score. The draw means that Leverkusen remains top of the table ahead of Bayern, who are level on points.
Bayern captain Thomas Müller called Davies’ deployment “a bit impetuous” after the end of the game. However, the 34-year-old described the fall of his national team colleague Hofmann as “cleverly done” after the light contact at most. He would like “that such situations in football are not penalties,” said Müller.
Bayern’s new sports director Christoph Freund spoke of “a controversial scene”, but above all questioned the intervention of the video assistant on Friday evening: “The clear rule is that the video referee only intervenes when it is crystal clear.”
Meanwhile, Hofmann contradicted Müller: “Clear penalty. Period! There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.” He was clearly hit in the foot. Referee Daniel Schlager told the streaming service DAZN that he “didn’t notice” the action on the field. When he looked at the pictures, it became clear to him relatively quickly that the VAR colleague’s description matched the pictures.
“The referee will find arguments and defend his decisions to the death,” said Müller: “That’s what he will do before the free kick.” Before Aljeandro Grimaldo made it 1-1, Müller had fouled the Leverkusen goalscorer, according to Schlager. Müller also assessed this scene differently: “My argument is my blue toe. It’s a hold over, an open sole, even if he gets to the ball earlier.”
