Scandal penalty! Dortmund hits Lille and moves into the quarter -finals

Scandal penalty! Dortmund hits Lille and moves into the quarter -finals

In the round of 16 of the Champions League, on March 14, 2025 there was an exciting meeting between the French association OSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund. The first leg ended 1: 1, and the second leg should take place in the local arena of Lille.

The game quickly picked up speed when Lille took the lead early. But Borussia Dortmund was combative. In the 54th minute, the team of coach Niko Kovac got the chance to equalize.

The controversial penalty

referee Sandro Schärer decided on a penalty after a collision between Serhou Guirassy and Thomas Meunier. However, this decision was immediately questioned because there was no VAR intervention to check the scene. Emre Can competed and converted the penalty.

The reaction from Lille was not long in coming. President Olivier Létang expressed in the mixed zone that he found the penalty whistle as "too hard" and not necessary. He also questioned the selection of the referee team and drew attention to the origin of referee Schärer. This comes from the Zurich region and communicated with the Dortmund players in German during half-time. Létang described the choice of referees as "very special" and expressed concerns about bias.

In addition, Létang noted that a yellow-red card for Waldemar Anton would have been appropriate because Anton had committed a similar foul in both halves. Sebastian Kehl from Dortmund believed that a VAR check might have withdrawn the decision if there had been no penalty.

The turning point in the game

After compensation by Can, Lille was hardly able to create his own chances in the second half. Borussia Dortmund took command and scored 2-1 by Maximilian Beier in the 65th minute. Dortmund secured the move into the quarter -finals of the Champions League.

The dissatisfaction of the Lille fans about the penalty decision hovered throughout the game throughout the second half. A large part of the trailers let his anger run free and criticized the VAR use and the performance of the referee.

Overall, the game was of enormous importance for both teams. Dortmund not only qualified for the next round through this victory, but also fueled the discussions about referee decisions and their influence on the course of the game. Létang's statements are likely to have continued to have this debate.

For further insights into the referee statistics and decisions, interested parties can see the information from Kicker