Thursday April 15, 2021
Tantrum from Sky expert Hamann
BVB is crushed and cheated
By Tobias Nordmann
Borussia Dortmund dreams of a “world sensation” against Manchester City in the Champions League. A quarter of an hour this dream is filled with life. But what happens after that simply amazes the football world.
A lot of footballers play at Borussia Dortmund who are really, really good at their job. Not only when they have the ball on their feet. Well-trained top workers are also available in pressing and defense. If these specialists have to see very clearly that they have no chance, no matter what they do and try, then something remarkable has happened. And this remarkable thing can be very clearly stated on this Wednesday evening. That remarkable thing is called Manchester City. And this Manchester City is after a 2-1 win in the second leg (there was also a 2-1 in the first leg) for the first time under the direction of coach Josep Guardiola in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Earned. Well deserved. Highly deserved.
But also a little happy. At least with the referee’s whistles. In the first leg, BVB was denied a goal by Jude Bellingham after he had spitzed the ball off the goalkeeper’s foot (allegedly with a foul, which, despite being touched, was clearly not one). And now Dortmund received a penalty (55th), which according to the current FIFA rules was not one. Emre Can headed a ball on his own (long) arm. This is no longer a criminal offense, as our referee experts from “Collina’s heirs” see it as well. Despite the video check, the referee stuck to his opinion. Can quarreled: “I think the rules say it’s not a penalty. It’s bitter. A goal was stolen from us in the first leg.”
The Sky expert Dietmar Hamann was maddened by this scene, he saw a “scandalous” decision. He saw the evening the “video evidence” was buried. Ewald Lienen, also a Sky expert, found the jumble of rules and the interpretations of the handball to be “insane”. BVB coach Edin Terzic also disagreed with what was whistled: “At the referee training it is clearly stated that heading your own arm is not punishable,” he was very annoyed. “Let me put it this way: We weren’t very lucky with the decisions in the two games.”
Penalty is the “game changer”
Well, there was also a vote against. She raised Josep Guardiola. He saw a “very clear penalty”. Well, that doesn’t really surprise anyone. Because that penalty kick was what is called a “game changer” these days. Although his team was already mercilessly dominant before this scene, they were 0: 1 behind – and thus out of the competition. Riyad Mahrez took on the matter, processed the ball precisely into the goal. The well-deserved answer to the early leadership of Dortmund by the phenomenal Jew Bellingham (15th). The 17-year-old had slipped the ball into the corner under the greatest pressure from the opponent. The penalty, the goal, the decision. The already worn down Borussia were now finally crushed. Between the minutes 60 and 70 they felt they weren’t even on the ball. The 2: 1 by Phil Foden, it was just the goal consequence of the dominance, even if goalkeeper Marwin Hitz did not look good with the hard and well-placed shot from distance (75. ).
The sensational pass security, this cleverness and clarity in the structure, the almost flawless harmony between attack and administration – what Manchester City brought up after a rather sleepy initial phase in the Dortmund stadium, that was simply Guardiola football in the most impressive perfection. In their fifth year together, they actually made it to the semi-finals for the first time. And in this form they are now the top favorites for Bayern’s title heir, which surreally failed against Paris St. Germain on Tuesday evening. One thing in the service of chronicler duty: City now meets PSG. The other semi-final is Real Madrid against Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea FC.
But before he continues the so far so impressive path in the premier class, Guardiola wanted to first “treat himself to wine.” And quite a lot of it, as he confessed. With joy. And out of pride. “Except for the first ten minutes we were brilliant. I’m really happy to be among the four best teams in Europe.”
In fact, the sometimes brilliant Catalan hadn’t coached himself this time. He had refrained from wild experiments that had regularly broken his Champions League neck in recent years (including at FC Bayern). In contrast to the first leg, this time he only swapped the left full-back. Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced João Cancelo. A little more protection against the quick attackers from Dortmund. It was a plan that worked. Especially because star player Kevin de Bruyne once again delivered an outstanding game and was always master of the pace. Because Ilkay Gündogan dominated midfield and the whole team ruled over the ball and opponents in a crazy rhythm. The passion that BVB put against it was simply not enough to control this overwhelming power. After all: No Borussia has to accept an accusation in the two duels. The mentality was right. This time the truth was a very simple one: Man City was far too good to allow Dortmund to come anywhere near the desired “world sensation”.
“… then we were too wild”
“We did well up to the penalty goal,” said captain Marco Reus, who, like his offensive colleagues Erling Haaland and Ansgar Knauff, was rarely or never able to relieve the pressure. “After the goal we had no more concept, we were too wild. City then played its perfect positional play,” said the 31-year-old, appreciative and frustrated. And if the sky-blue passport machine really gets going, then (probably) every opponent on this planet has no chance at the moment.
For BVB, the knockout could also have been the farewell to the lucrative Champions League for at least a year. With seven points behind the fourth place in the league, a new qualification for the competition seems unlikely. What does that mean for the highly talented team around Haaland or the currently injured Jadon Sancho? Not clear. After all, in the case of the storming force of nature Haaland, there was a clear announcement before kick-off. From sports director Michael Zorc. He said on Sky: “The fact is: nothing works without our signature. We plan with him, regardless of whether we still qualify for the Champions League or not.” Well, facts and football, this connection is not always stable. Fact however, if Haaland leaves, there will be plenty of money for new footballers who are really, really good at their job.
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