Netherlands condemn refereeing after two controversial decisions

In the draw between the Netherlands and Germany, the German goal scored after Brian Brobbey remained on the ground sparked the fiercest controversy, the Dutch believing that the referee should have stopped play and that it had influenced the final result.

First controversial decision

The first incident occurred in the twelfth minute, when Virgil van Dijk found the net, but the referee disallowed the goal, citing a slight foul by Brian Brobbey on German goalkeeper Marc‑André ter Stegen. The Liverpool defender said that “the first goal was denied far too easily”. Jürgen Klopp, his former manager in England, retorted that the foul, even minor, justified the disallowing.

The second point of contention arose when Brobbey stayed on the ground in the central circle, but the match continued. The Germans then took advantage of the situation to score, the goal being credited to Nmecha. The Dutch expressed strong anger, believing that play should have been stopped.

Coady Gakpo stated that it is normal to stop play when a player is injured, even if the rules do not explicitly provide for it. Klopp, for his part, reminded that “it is up to the referee to stop play, not the teams on the pitch”, and that his side had handled the situation well.

Klopp defends Germany goal while van Dijk brands it disgrace

Despite the controversy, the Netherlands managed to pull off an equaliser in stoppage time, which sealed the match as a draw.

The the Oranje “laughed yellow” at these decisions, believing that the result could have been entirely different without the contested calls.

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Six comments have been posted in reaction to the article, reflecting the tension sparked by the match.