“The goal should have been given” - Real Madrid superstar admits Leipzig’s equalizer was wrongly ruled out for offside
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos admitted that RB Leipzig's disallowed goal against Real Madrid should have counted. Striker Benjamin Sesko scored in just the second minute of the game but it was flagged offside and VAR did not overturn the decision.
While Sesko was onside, his teammate Benjamin Henrichs, who was offside, was seemingly getting into the line of sight of Los Blancos goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. But Kroos felt it was not affecting the play.
Speaking to RMC Sport after the match, Kroos claimed that VAR were wrong to chalk off RB Leipzig's goal. He said:
"I think the goal was given offside because Benjamin Hendrichs is on the way (of the GK) but the goalkeeper was far from the ball. That's why, yes, the goal should have been given."
Marco Rose, the RB Leipzig coach, also felt that the referees and VAR made a mistake with the call. He said (via France24):
"I'm not angry with the referee -- I don't want to start a refereeing debate. It was a mistake. I think we all saw it was not the right decision. I also make mistakes -- sometimes two or three per day. What's important is that you fix them -- and that you try and do it better next time."
Real Madrid went on to win the match 1-0 with Brahim Diaz scoring the lone goal of the match.
Thierry Henry sides with referees after RB Leipzig's goal against Real Madrid is chalked off
Thierry Henry was on CBS Sports panel on Tuesday, February 13, and sided with the referee. He believes that Benjamin Henrichs was impacting play from an offside position when he pushed Andriy Lunin.
He said (via The Madrid Zone):
"The disallowed goal was the correct decision. I also thought it was a goal, but on the replay, you can see it is not. As a player, you are told if you are offside, don't get involved. He involves with Lunin, even if the push is little - he was offside."
Real Madrid will host RB Leipzig on March 6 for the second leg of the Round-of-16 tie.