Union's Gosens self-critical after controversial penalty whistle
Union Berlin's Robin Gosens did not agree with the penalty decision against him. However, the international was also self-critical after the 1:1 (0:1) draw against FC Augsburg. "It's a difficult situation. First of all, of course, I have to take the blame for even taking the risk of conceding a penalty," said the 29-year-old full-back on Saturday about the situation that allowed Augsburg to take the lead from the spot. "If I just set him up and let him play on, much less happens than what happened now."
While attempting to clear a ball with a sliding tackle, the international collided with Augsburg's Arne Engels on the edge of the penalty area in the 36th minute. Referee Florian Badstübner awarded a penalty and stuck to his decision even after looking at the video footage. Gosens saw it differently: "I stand by my opinion that I'm a millisecond earlier on the ball and kick the ball away. That also shows the direction in which the ball is going, namely towards the halfway line." Engels then hit him on the foot and not the other way around.
Despite the controversial penalty decision, 1st FC Union Berlin's Robin Gosens recognized his role in the incident. In the 1:1 draw against FC Augsburg, Gosens admitted that he should have been more cautious, saying, "Had I simply dodged Engels and let the ball roll, the situation would've been less critical." [Soccer, Bundesliga, 1st FC Union Berlin, FC Augsburg]
In the heated 36th-minute encounter, the disputed penalty led to an equalizer for FC Augsburg, but Gosens challenged the decision, asserting, "I was just a fraction of a second closer to the ball and intended to clear it, which would've sent it towards the halfway line." [Soccer, Bundesliga, 1st FC Union Berlin, FC Augsburg]
Source: www.dpa.com
