Serhou Guirassy angry about penalty debacle after on-field argument with Borussia Dortmund team-mates in Juventus draw

On Tuesday, Dortmund were awarded a penalty in their Champions League opener against Juventus with the score reading 3-2 in favour of the Black and Yellows. Juve's Lloyd Kelly handled the ball in the 86th minute, which gave a chance to the visitors to put the tie to bed. 

A dispute then broke out between Bensebaini and Guirassy over who should take the penalty. Guirassy, who is the regular penalty taker, tried to take the ball, but gave in after instructions from coach Kovac and the intervention of teammates Julia Brandt and Karim Adeyemi. Bensebaini confidently converted to make it 4-2, and the conflict seemed to have been resolved for the time being amid the celebrations.

Guirassy is said to have remained irritated and annoyed about being dropped by Kovac as first-choice penalty taker – and that Bensebaini is now being given preference instead. According to Sky, this led to a clarifying discussion between Guirassy and Kovac, which was also attended by sporting director Sebastian Kehl. Guirassy explained his view of the situation during this discussion.

"It was clearly defined that Ramy should take the penalty if we got one," Kovac revealed after the match, but he also understood where Guirassy was coming from. 

"Of course, I understand that Serhou wants to score the goal because he had the chance to shoot. But it was clearly defined [that Bensebaini would take the penalty], but everything is fine. We're not making a mountain out of a molehill."

The manager added: "Ramy scored it confidently and Serhou was happy. We were all happy. Everything is fine. There are no hard feelings. We are a team and the two get on very well anyway. There are no repercussions.

"Ramy is now the number one [penalty taker]. Unless, at some point, he is kind enough to say: 'Serhou, you can take the shot now.' Actually, Ramy should do it now. Until he maybe misses one – which I don't believe will happen and I hope doesn't happen."

Dortmund won't be pleased with conceding two late goals in their 4-4 draw against the Old Lady. In their next European outing, they will take on Spanish outfit Athletic Club at the Signal Iduna Park on October 1, after facing Wolfsburg and Mainz in the Bundesliga.

Additional reporting by Marko Brkic.