Chelsea compensated for its 1-0 loss in the first leg with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in London, with goals from Raheem Sterling and Havertz from a penalty kick, to reach the quarter-finals.
After advancing with a goal at the end of the first half, Chelsea got a penalty kick early in the second for a handball on Marius Wolf, Havertz stepped on it with his left foot and hit the post while the goalkeeper threw himself to the right, before the video assistant referee “VAR” requested that it be returned to the players. From the two teams to the penalty area during its execution, the German returned and fired in the same way, but successfully this time.
The referee’s decision to return it sparked mixed reactions, while Dortmund players criticized it strongly.
“I think it was disappointing and the idea that the try was retaken is a travesty,” Bellingham said after the match.
And he continued, “I think that when the player runs so slowly during the execution (and makes a stop before the shot), it will lead to a violation and the players entering the area.”
In turn, Emre Djan criticized this decision and said after the loss, “The referee, the referee was very bad today. He awarded a second penalty kick in this way, how does that happen? I do not understand.”
He continued, “The referee was arrogant in the way he spoke to us. We are playing here at Stamford Bridge, maybe he is afraid of the fans, I do not know. UEFA (UEFA) needs to send a different referee here, it is very bad.”
The wobbly Chelsea in the league in tenth place inflicted the first loss on Dortmund this year, after the latter achieved 10 victories in all competitions and became equal to Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.
© 2023 AFP
