Sascha Stegemann Bochum vs Dortmund 2022-23Getty Images

Bundesliga referee after potentially costing Borussia Dortmund the title: 'I feel like sh*t'

  • Dortmund slipped to 1-1 draw at Bochum
  • Adeyemi denied 65th minute penalty
  • Referee Stegemann admitted to mistake

WHAT HAPPENED? Dortmund faced up against 15th-placed Bochum with the opportunity to extend their lead at the Bundesliga summit. But Edin Terzic's side were unable to build on Karim Adeyemi's seventh minute equaliser - although the young German was involved in arguably the talking point of the match. Adeyemi went over in the box in the 65th minute but Stegemann refused to award what looked a clear penalty, with video assistant referee Robert Hartmann agreeing with the on-field decision.

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WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to WDR 2 on Saturday, Stegemann acknowledged his errors, admitting: "I'm extremely annoyed, I feel like sh*t. It was a very, very short night [of sleep], I'm not fine with it. You get up with a bad feeling because you're angry that you didn't make the right decision in a scene."

"Looking at it, it's a penalty in the situation with Adeyemi for BVB," he conceded. "I didn't see it that way on the pitch. As a referee, I have the right to solve the scene on the pitch without using the video assistant unnecessarily."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Of course, Stegemann's decision has ramifications beyond Friday's match. Failure to award the penalty means Dortmund dropped yet more points and now means the title race is back in Bayern's hands, as a win over bottom-placed Hertha BSC on Sunday will put Thomas Tuchel's side one point clear at the Bundesliga summit. While the battle is far from over - especially given Tuchel's early form at his new club - the admission of such a blatant error is a hammer blow for a club who haven't earned league silverware since 2011.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Sascha Stegemann Karim Adeyemi Borussia Dortmund Bochum 2023Getty ImagesJude Bellingham Sascha Stegemann Bochum Borussia Dortmund 2023Getty ImagesEdin Terzic Borussia Dortmund 2023Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR DORTMUND? Terzic's side will have to pick themselves up, though, in time for their next Bundesliga match, which comes against Wolfsburg on May 7.

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