Lazio penalty vs Dortmund branded by fans as one of the worst decisions in UCL history

Borussia Dortmund secured Champions League qualification with a 1-1 home draw against Lazio, with the German club progressing to the knockout stages. The Dortmund vs Lazio game was a closely fought encounter, with both sides having their fair shares of chances throughout the game. However, Lazio will be feeling lucky as they return home with a point after they were awarded a controversial penalty in the second half, which is being branded one of the worst decisions in the competition’s history.

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Dortmund vs Lazio: Club rocked by Haaland injury before UCL game

Borussia Dortmund were on the back foot before the game even started, with being revealed that star striker Erling Haaland was ruled out of the game with an injury. Providing the Haaland injury update, Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said on Wednesday that the 20-year will be out for a month with a muscle tear. The coach while talking about the Haaland injury also hinted that the muscle tear may have happened because the young Norwegian has been playing too many games in recent weeks.

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Despite the setback, it was Borussia Dortmund who started the game strongly, taking the lead just before the end of the first half. Raphael Guerreiro found the back of the net in the 44th minute, with the Portuguese national getting on the end of a slick passing move. However, it was Lazio’s star striker Ciro Immobile who equalised in controversial circumstances in the second half. The Italian made no mistake from the penalty spot to level the scores, post which Lazio grew into the game. Despite the Serie A side threatening the hosts with several chances after getting the scores level, it was Dortmund keeper Roman Burki who made some great saves to ensure Champions League qualification for the German side.

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Lazio penalty vs Dortmund: Fans criticise referee blunder
 

The headline moment of the game occurred midway through the second half after the referee adjudged Nico Schulz of having fouled midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic inside the box. However, after the Lazio penalty vs Dortmund was given, replays clearly showed the Lazio player diving over the ball without any contact from the Dortmund player. Despite the availability of VAR, the decision wasn’t surprisingly overturned, with match footage showing that there was no contact between the two players.

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During the Dortmund vs Lazio game, many fans reacted to the penalty decision, as they criticised the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once again. Fans claimed that if VAR can’t pick up such a blatant referee error, it shouldn’t be used at all. Football fans also trolled the referee, claiming it was a terrible piece of decision making by the match official. Sharing the footage of the incident, many fans suggested that such howlers aren’t acceptable at the pinnacle of club football. Dortmund coach Lucien Favre also hit out at the officials after the game, claiming that what Sergej Milinkovic-Savic did was ‘theatre’, saying that the midfielder dived like he was in a swimming pool.

Image Credits: Sergej Milinkovic Savic Instagram