Overview
- Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated 1. FC Köln 3-1 in a derby defined by three penalties, with two awarded only after VAR sent referee Deniz Aytekin to the pitch-side screen.
- Aytekin said the first review revealed clear knee contact he had not seen and that Kristoffer Lund’s handball looked obvious on the monitor despite being blocked from his view on the field.
- He called Köln’s stoppage-time penalty a harsh decision and said he might not give it at 0-0, later thanking the VAR team, acknowledging missed on-field perceptions, and grading himself a “3 or 4.”
- Köln coach Lukas Kwasniok blasted the system, saying he hates VAR and feels it has become the boss instead of the on-field referee.
- Sporting director Thomas Kessler defended Aytekin as one of Germany’s best referees and urged a debate on clearer thresholds for sending referees to the monitor.