Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic blamed his team’s defeat on a contentious penalty awarded against them in their Champions League Round of 16 match against Chelsea on Tuesday.
The German giants’ 1-0 first-leg win was overturned by two unreplied goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz as the Blues cruised to a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, thereby knocking Dortmund out of the competition.
Full time in London ⏹ pic.twitter.com/Ft3293GT72
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 7, 2023
Havertz’s goal in the second half came from a controversial penalty after Dortmund’s right back Marius Wolf was adjudged to have handled the ball by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie following a consultation with VAR. The German missed the penalty but was asked to retake it after VAR penalized Dortmund players for encroaching on the penalty area.
Terzic expressed his ire at the call surrounding the penalty incident, emphasizing the significance of getting crucial decisions correctly in games of such magnitude.
“What annoyed us was the delay on the taking of the penalty, which also didn’t make it easy for players to run in,” the German coach said.
“We had the feeling that Kai Havertz not only delayed but also completely broke off his run up and stood still. But these are the moments, these small details, that determine whether you progress or not, and today, they weren’t on our side.”
The 40-year-old former footballer, whose team is currently joint-top in the Bundesliga, further highlighted the need for his players to pick themselves up early and focus on their other targets.
“So our season started in July and we said we wanted to have a good run in all three competitions. So tonight we have dropped out of the Champions League against Chelsea. I don’t think that it’s something where you have to feel ashamed for,” he said.
“But don’t get me wrong, tonight we are really disappointed. But tomorrow morning we’re going to stand up, we’re going to recover, and then we go for the next one. And it’s a big derby for us on Saturday (away at Schalke),” Terzic concluded.
Dortmund, who were unbeaten in eleven games across all competitions before their defeat to Chelsea, still have the chance to end the season with silverware as they are tied with reigning German champions Bayern Munich on 49 points, with a quarterfinal tie against RB Leipzig still to come in the DFB-Pokal next month.
