Emre Can has blamed the “arrogant” match referee for Borussia Dortmund’s defeat against Chelsea in their Champions League round of 16 clash.
- Can blamed referee for Dortmund loss
- Questioned the decision to allow retake of penalty
- Chelsea beat Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg as they beat Dortmund 2-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
Can, on the other hand, was furious after the game, questioning the referee’s decision to award a penalty retake to Kai Havertz, from which he scored the second goal. In a scathing post-match interview, the Dortmund midfielder also criticised the match officials’ overall conduct.
WHAT THEY SAID: In an interview with Amazon Prime, Can stated: “We did not deserve to lose, but we did as a result of the referee. How is it possible to give back the penalty to be retaken in this manner? I’m not sure what you mean. Today’s referee has been terrible. He spoke to us in an arrogant tone.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: A spot-kick was awarded to Chelsea in the second half after Marius Wolf was found guilty of handling the ball inside the penalty box. While the referee initially did not award the penalty, VAR overturned the decision.
Initially, Havertz’s penalty kick came off the post, but after Salih Ozcan was found guilty of entering the box prematurely and then clearing from the rebound, Chelsea were allowed to retake the penalty from which the German international slotted home.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images
WHAT NEXT FOR DORTMUND? With back-to-back wins against Leeds United and Dortmund easing pressure on head coach Graham Potter, Chelsea will hope to keep up their momentum against Leicester City in the Premier League on March 11.
