Mönchengladbach (dpa) – Max Kruse was still pissed long after the game. “No, it wasn’t a clear penalty,” the Wolfsburg striker posted on Instagram around midnight with a tears of joy emoji, showing his injured ankle after a kick by Manu Koné.
The missed penalty was one of several discussed decisions after the 2: 2 (1: 2) between Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg.
In the end, Florian Kohfeldt had come to terms with the draw despite the anger about a red card and the penalty scene. “It was a bit unfortunate for us. But when we were outnumbered, we fought selflessly and deservedly took the point,” said the VfL Wolfsburg coach after the intense and at times heated game. After all, the busy referee Tobias Reichel stopped Gladbach’s race to catch up in added time when he didn’t recognize Matthias Ginter’s supposed winning goal because of a foul play.
Hütter: “Then the game can be completely different”
For a long time, Wolfsburg looked like the sure winner and after a good half hour they had against an opponent who had recently lost 6-0 in Dortmund through goals from Jonas Wind (6th minute) and Sebastiaan Bornauw (33rd) 2-0 under control. Maximilian Philipp then even missed the chance of a third goal after Marcus Thuram had reduced it to 1:2. “Then the game can be completely different,” said Borussia coach Adi Hütter, whose team then benefited from two important decisions by the referee and started a racy race to catch up.
First, Kruse complained about the penalty kick not being given because he ran on and then fell later. “It can’t be the fair play idea if I fall directly. It can’t hit me any clearer. I don’t know how many people are in the basement, but they weren’t very competent,” Wolfsburg’s winter newcomer complained about the scene the second half. Shortly thereafter, Maxence Lacroix saw the red card after a tussle with Thuram and a deliberate handball. Kohfeldt said Thuram had previously played a foul and the dismissal was not justified.
“Defended Against All Odds”
All that counted for Hütter was that his team showed a strong reaction in a game between two teams who actually wanted to play for the European Cup but are now cavorting in the relegation zone. “The team really wanted to win this game and fought against all odds,” said Borussia’s head coach.
In addition to the difficult sporting situation and after the resignation of sports director Max Eberl, his team also had to deal with the terrible news of the accidental death of Gladbach U23 player Jordi Bongard last Thursday. “It was deep what we were bombarded with. It shows how unimportant football is,” said defender Jordan Beyer. “It was a shock moment. We talked a lot about it to help each other,” said international Jonas Hofmann. “I have to compliment the team on how they put it all away,” explained Hütter, who had to cancel training on Thursday before the game.
The jubilation was correspondingly great when substitute Breel Embolo scored the equalizer (82nd). When Ginter then scored to make it 3:2, the team was completely euphoric for a short time and cheered the supposed winning goal. “At that moment I would have liked to throw myself on the heap,” said Hütter. But then the referee decided otherwise.