The questionable goal netted by the BVB Kobel's goalkeeper stirred up controversy.
Borussia Dortmund grapples with newly promoted St. Pauli but ultimately secures the win, leaving a sense of relief in the air. Only goalkeeper Gregor Kobel expresses his discontent post-match. In his opinion, the equalizer shouldn't have stood. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck, however, disagrees.
Following their 2-1 (1-0) Bundesliga victory over FC St. Pauli, Borussia Dortmund's goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, was furious. "It's unequivocal, it was offside," he stated, his frustration evident. It wasn't Dortmund's subpar performance that had irritated Kobel, but rather the disputed equalizing goal.
"It's a classic scenario demonstrating why that rule was implemented," Kobel explained: "It was a great shot, but you can see how he deliberately moved out of the way, impeding me. Therefore, it should have been blatantly offside."
So, what transpired? In the 78th minute, St. Pauli's Eric Smith unleashed a shot from 25 meters, which found its way into the left corner, leaving Kobel bewildered. Kobel insisted that Oladapo Afolayan had impeded his view, but the referee, Matthias Jöllenbeck, allowed the goal. Kobel protested vehemently on the pitch, arguing that "in football, it's about the attacker clearly obstructing the goalkeeper's view. That wasn't the case here."
Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund's sporting director, then approached the referee in his locker room, voicing his opinion and engaging in a heated discussion. BVB coach Nuri Sahin agreed, labeling it "clear offside," but now that they'd emerged victorious, he could discuss it more calmly.
What did Afolayan have to say? "Honestly, I'm over VAR and football," he admitted. "It's either offside or it's not. For me, VAR is nonsensical because they don't make the right calls anymore. Let the referees do their job; they've trained their entire lives for these decisions." Afolayan found the goal "acceptable," but he added, "If they claim it's offside, then it's offside. You must trust them."
Gregor Kobel advocated for video refereeing after the disputed goal, stating, "In modern football, having video assistance could prevent such ambiguous situations." Similarly, Sebastian Kehl echoed this sentiment, arguing, "With video refereeing, these types of errors could be minimized, offering a fairer and more accurate representation of the game."
