Overview
- The match on Sunday finished 4–3 to SV Elversberg in a seven‑goal game that featured four penalties and multiple lead changes.
- Referee Florian Exner awarded two penalties to each side and used VAR for several key calls, including overturning an Elversberg goal for offside in the 79th minute and reversing an Augsburg hand penalty in the 88th minute.
- A late handball by Elversberg captain Lukas Pinckert in stoppage time was not reviewed and drew a sharp protest from Augsburg coach Manuel Baum, who called it a clear penalty.
- Players and coaches from both teams questioned Exner’s on‑field communication and heavy reliance on the VAR, with Augsburg and Elversberg participants saying the sequence of checks made the match confusing.
- The episode has revived scrutiny of Exner because of past high‑profile clashes and fed a wider debate about how and when the VAR should intervene, including internal assessments that penalize referees for overusing video reviews.