Referee admits Eintracht Frankfurt should have had a penalty against Borussia Dortmund

Referee Sascha Stegemann has admitted that Borussia Dortmund were lucky that Karim Adeyemi’s challenge on Jesper Lindstrøm on Saturday wasn’t deemed to be a penalty.

Borussia Dortmund claimed a hard fought win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening to move above the Eagles in the Bundesliga standings. But the game wasn’t without controversy, as Eintracht Frankfurt were left aggrieved after being denied what they felt was a clear penalty in the first half.

With the scores level and Jesper Lindstrøm looking to score from close range late in the first half, Karim Adeyemi brought down the Eintracht Frankfurt forward inside the box. But referee Sascha Stegemann decided not to give the home side a penalty. VAR did not intervene either as play carried on, much to the annoyance of Eintracht’s players and supporters.

Stegemann admitted after the game that he made the wrong decision, and that Eintracht Frankfurt should have been awarded a penalty.

"“On the pitch, the situation was that there was normal physical contact between Adeyemi and Lindström, but I could not see a clear foul,” Stegemann told Sky Sport. “I conveyed this accordingly to the VAR in Cologne. There the situation was checked and classified as not being a clear and obvious error.”“When I see the images now with the corresponding camera angles, I have to clearly state that it should have been a penalty kick for Eintracht Frankfurt.”"

The referee’s decision proved to be a costly one for Eintracht Frankfurt, as Jude Bellingham scored the winner in the second half to help Borussia Dortmund get the three points in what was a fiercely contested game.

Karim Adeyemi was also asked about his challenge on Jesper Lindstrøm after the game. But the Borussia Dortmund forward did not think that it was a foul.

Saturday’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt helped Borussia Dortmund end their run of three away defeats in a row in the Bundesliga. The Black and Yellows now find themselves in third place in the Bundesliga standings.