Key Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf

More VAR handball controversy

Another game, more handball controversy involving a VAR decision. Ever since the blatant non-call on Jerome Boatang’s handball, Borussia Dortmund have been on the wrong end of four consecutive at best, questionable, VAR decisions.

First, the Boatang handball, we’ve all seen enough to know this should have been a blatant penalty, and instead VAR didn’t even review the play. In the next game, Paderborn were awarded a penalty for a “handball” from Can, where he kept his arm tucked right into his body when the ball hit him. Then in the next game against Hertha, Dortmund were denied another penalty on a very similar play, Can hit the ball and Boyata turned his body with his arm outside and deflected the shot with his arm. No penalty was called on that play.

Finally, we get to the Düsseldorf game, Raphael Guerreiro scored a great volley capitalising on a loose ball in the Düsseldorf box. The play was reviewed by VAR, and they deemed that Guerreiro had controlled the ball with his hand. If you watch the replay it is physically impossible for Guerreiro to have his entire arm tucked tighter into his body, in no way can it be interpreted as away from his body.

On top of that the ball mainly hits his shoulder coming off a deflection right in front of him. It’s absolutely baffling how the VAR in Köln could have decided without question that the ball had struck Guerreiro’s arm. He was so sure of his decision that he didn’t even ask the ref on the field to review it himself, which is standard in close calls.

It has now happened far too often for this to be coincidence, Dortmund is clearly on the wrong end of every recent VAR decision and it is absolutely laughable. You can all but guarantee if you put Bayern on the end of all of the same events, they would all have likely gone in Bayern’s favour.