Nico Schlotterbeck was on the verge of receiving a red card several times against FC Bayern. In one situation, he would have even agreed to it
In the classic against FC Bayern, Nico Schlotterbeck had put BVB ahead at one point – even though he might not have been on the pitch when he scored the opening goal
Referee Sven Jablonski had only shown a yellow card for a very hard tackle on Josip Stanisic, but Schlotterbeck had caught Stanisic on the shin with an open sole – a foul that had often led to a direct sending-off
As Schlotterbeck himself summed up on the Sky microphone, a straight red card would also have been justified for him in this situation. „I think a red card could have been given there. I was lucky,“ explained the Dortmund centre-back
Schlotterbeck was still in danger
Schlotterbeck could have been sent off not only for his hard hit against Stanisic. When he climbed over the bar after his goal and briefly cheered with the Dortmund crowd, he could also have been shown a yellow card under the rules. If the referee sees a safety risk in such a situation, he is allowed to show the player in question a yellow card. However, as Schlotterbeck returned to the pitch relatively quickly, Jablonski decided not to send him off
Schlotterbeck would also have had to leave the pitch for another foul on Stanisic if the rules had been interpreted a little more harshly. When he brought down the Croatian international in the penalty area and Jablonski pointed to the spot, the 26-year-old should not have complained if he had been sent to the showers either
In the end, however, FC Bayern can live with the questionable refereeing decisions as Vincent Kompany’s team once again demonstrated their strong team spirit to secure a deserved 3-2 victory at Signal-Iduna-Park.
