After the 0: 7 pack at Manchester City, licking wounds is the order of the day at RB Leipzig. The visitors played poorly, there’s no doubt about that. The beginning of the end was the dubious hand penalty against RBL, which can definitely be discussed.
The sting is deep. After the 7-0 debacle at Manchester City, the biggest bankruptcy in RB Leipzig’s Champions League history, Marco Rose’s team is trying to somehow get back to business as usual. Not easy, because it was a memorable game.
Former Rose protégé almost single-handedly defeats RBL
With a sweet and sour expression, Marco Rose had to watch as his former protégé Erling Haaland, whom he had under his wing at RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, almost single-handedly shot the Leipzig team out of the Etihad Stadium.
With a breathtaking goal gala, the Norwegian destroyed Leipzig’s dreams of a Champions League quarter-final and catapulted himself to the same level as Lionel Messi with his goal record. Only Messi, once in a 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen, and Luiz Adriano in the shirt of Shakhtar Donetsk had scored five goals before him in a premier class game.
Orban on Haaland: “He had the law of attraction on his side”
The 22-year-old exceptional striker simply couldn’t be gotten under control by the RBL players. Leipzig’s defense chief Willi Orban, who praised the match winner, also saw it that way: “He was always there where the ball fell. You have to congratulate him on having the law of attraction on his side. He always sucked up the second ball and shot it in . He does that very well.”
Doubtful hand penalty: the beginning of the end for the guests
Still, the lawn ballers quarreled somewhat with fate, although that shouldn’t be used as an excuse. It was about the hand penalty in the 22nd minute, which Haaland converted to 1-0 and meant the beginning of the end for Leipzig.
After feedback from the video assistant, referee Slavko Vincic awarded ManCity a penalty. Previously, as a result of an aerial duel between Benjamin Henrichs and City player Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, the ball had unintentionally (very) easily jumped into the hand of the German international.
“The hand rule is grotesque”
Orban has his own opinion on this. “Having to swallow a decision like that doesn’t make it any easier. Even the professionals can’t understand the rule of the hand and it also makes it difficult for the referees.” Short and good. “The hand rule is grotesque,” said Orban.
RBL sports director Max Eberl agreed: “For me, that’s not a penalty. The referee shouldn’t be taken out and put in the need to judge.” However, Eberl did not want to accept it as the trigger for the Leipzig debacle: “Not that anyone thinks the referee is to blame. But that’s how it started.”
Eberl: “Everyone has to ask themselves what they did wrong”
Now it’s up to the RasenBallsport kickers to put the bankruptcy behind them and show a reaction. “Everyone has to ask themselves what they did wrong and endure the malice that will rain down on us to some extent,” said Eberl: “But that’s part of football too. I like guys who get back up. And we can prove that on Saturday.” This refers to the Bundesliga game at VfL Bochum.
red