.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
The 18-year-old came on in the 74th minute with the score at 2-0 for Konstantinos Karetsas. The Italian did not have long to make an impact, though. Just two and a half minutes after coming on, he arrived late in a challenge with Albert Grönbaek and caught the Hamburg player on the ankle with an outstretched leg. Referee Felix Zwayer did not hesitate and showed the youngster a red card.
His frustration then spilled over off the pitch too. In the bowels of the stadium, the attacker threw a bottle against a wall several times. One of them, of all things, struck the BVB crest with full force. That scene is unlikely to have gone down well with Dortmund supporters.
Anton defends Inacio - Matthäus criticises BVB scene
After the final whistle, captain Waldemar Anton still showed understanding for his team-mate in an interview with Sky. "Those are emotions, my God. That's part of it. I don't think he meant it like that. It looks bad, but those are the emotions that come out of you. I'd rather have a player like that who is angry than if he doesn't care." Record international Lothar Matthäus disagreed and criticised: "I find that even worse than the foul. In the end, it's the logo, and that is not on."
On the foul itself, Anton said: "It is of course a brutal action. He is a young player and highly motivated to come on. It starts a little bit further forward. In the second half we got a little sloppy. It is of course annoying for the lad because he has enormous quality. To get a red card like that is extremely bitter."
Coach Niko Kovac also backed Inacio. The BVB boss did not want to blame his player for the incident. "He was late, but he doesn't have to go off for that. He catches him, you can give it. I just came into the dressing room. The lad was sitting there crying. You can imagine how the lad felt. First red card here as a Bundesliga professional in this stadium. He certainly did the team no favours. You can imagine what is going through a young lad's mind."
Getty ImagesWhen asked what he had said to his player, Kovac replied: "Life goes on. You don't do that on purpose. He has to learn from it. That's what we want. The lad is emotionally involved."
This was only Inacio's second competitive appearance of the current season. The attacker had already featured in the Super Cup against Bayern Munich (1-2). The Italian made his senior debut last season before earning a permanent promotion from the reserve team to the professional squad in the summer.
BVB's win on Saturday brought another blow as well. In the league triumph, star new signing Giannis Konstantelias, who scored the goal for 2-0, also had to be substituted and may have suffered a serious knee injury. BVB's next task comes as early as Tuesday, when they face Hamburg-Eimsbütteler Ballspiel-Club in the first round of the DFB Cup.