Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Dortmund's Kehl: Bayern should practice penalties, not blame referee

Bayern Munich should practice penalties instead of complaining about the referee, veteran Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sebastian Kehl has suggested after his side's DFB Pokal semifinal shootout victory over the Bundesliga champions.

Kehl, 35, came off the bench in extra time for his final match at the Allianz Arena before he retires at the end of the season, and looked on as Dortmund beat the side he opted not to join 13 years ago 2-0 after the tie finish 1-1 after 120 minutes. 

Bayern failed to convert any of their four spot-kicks, with captain Phillip Lahm and Xabi Alonso each slipping as they struck the ball, former Dortmund star Mario Gotze having his effort saved and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer hitting the crossbar.

"If Bayern can't take penalties, they have to practice them," Kehl told Sky after the match.

Before Dortmund equalised after 75 minutes, referee Peter Gagelmann denied Bayern Munich a clear penalty when BVB left back Marcel Schmelzer blocked a Thomas Muller move with his arm.

"We played against 12 man today," Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge later complained about the referee.

Gagelmann's call was the latest mistake by an official in recent matches between the two sides. In the 2014 DFB Pokal final, Dortmund were denied a clear goal when a Mats Hummels attempt crossed the line where it was cleared by Dante. That goal would have given Dortmund a 1-0 lead, but they went on to lose 2-0 after extra time.

While most of the Bayern players bemoaned their lack of composure from the penalty spot, some, like Rummenigge, believed the referee decided the match by rejecting the penalty appeal.

"I think that it's crazy Bayern now try to put the blame on the referee," Kehl said. "They've done it quite often when getting defeated by us."

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke added that he would never have foreseen Bayern wasting four penalties, and said that Rummenigge congratulated him after the match, telling Sky: "Nobody could have complained about a penalty in the Schmelzer situation."

After the match, referee Gagelmann told reporters: "I saw the handball on TV. I am very sorry. I was not able to make the call during the match."

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