Two distinct hand-measuring indicators signal the intermission during Slapstick's performance.
The first half of the 2. Bundesliga match between 1. FC Magdeburg and Greuther Fürth was filled with shaking heads and bewilderment: Two penalties took center stage, each one a major blunder by a player that should have been avoided, but were rightfully awarded.
At the 13-minute mark, referee Bastian Dankert pointed to the penalty spot for the first time, with both teams and spectators left scratching their heads. Fürth's goalkeeper, Nahuel Nicolas Noll, had caught the ball before the goal line, held it for several seconds, and calmed the game. He then rolled the ball to Gideon Jung, who was standing to his left in the penalty area. Jung, however, seemed to have a moment of confusion, thinking he should take a throw-in. Instead, he took the ball in his hand, which resulted in a handball in the penalty area.
Magdeburg's Mo El Hankouri took the resulting penalty kick, appearing to be embarrassed by the gift. He shot the ball half-right towards Noll, who blocked it to the side. However, Xavier Amaechi was quick to react, playing the ball back from the right to the goal, where El Hankouri finally scored. The match now stood at 1-0 in favor of Magdeburg, who temporarily took over the league lead with Fortuna Düsseldorf trailing behind in their game against Hamburger SV.
"Have you had a pint of ink?"
Magdeburg continued to press forward, and just three minutes later, Martijn Kaars scored the 2-0 goal, but Fürth fought back with dignity. In the 42nd minute, Dankert awarded a penalty to Fürth, despite no foul being committed. Daniel Heber, mistakenly believing there was a free kick for the opponent, took the ball in his hand to pass it to his teammates. His action was deemed a handball in the penalty area, resulting in another penalty.
Julian Green scored the second penalty with ease, past Dominik Reimann and into Magdeburg's goal. In the 75th minute, Noel Futkeu equalized the score to 2-2, handing the league lead back to Düsseldorf.
Torsten Mattuschka remarked during the halftime break on Sky, "That's totally nuts! I've never experienced two such scenes in a single game." The sentiment was echoed by Ede Geyer, a famous former coach who turns 80 on Monday. "Have you had a pint of ink?" Geyer would have said, referencing the unusual sequence of events. Two hand penalties caused by misunderstandings in one half were certainly a spectacle to behold.
In the second half of the game, discussions about the 'Second football league' potentially promoting or relegating both teams took center stage due to the unpredictable nature of the match. Despite Magdeburg's 2-0 lead, Furth managed to level the score at 2-2 thanks to a handball in the penalty area, a sequence of events similar to the first half.
