UEFA Champions League 2023/24: Borussia Dortmund's veteran centre back Mats Hummels has slammed the VAR after the technology led to award PSV a controversial penalty in their first leg match of Round of 16 in UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. The penalty decision sparked a series of debates and arguments across the continent as there were divided opinions on the incident on Wednesday, January 21.
Not only did Mats Hummels criticise VAR, but also laid down a controversial statement, mentioning the alleged biasness that exists for bigger clubs like Chelsea, PSG, which has further brought the defender under the scanner and can be penalised for his comments in the post-match presentation.
PSV Eindhoven Vs Borussia Dortmund UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Round Of 16 First Leg - Match Report
PSV Eindoven hosted Borussia Dortmund in their first leg match of Round of 16 in UEFA Champions League 2023/24 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven. Both the ides made a positive start to their proceedings as fans witnessed an end-to-end gameplay, with both sides showcasing their attacking prowess and the likes of Malen and Lozano came close to opening the scoring.
The first blood was scored by the visitors as the Bundesliga giants took the lead in the 24th minute via a Donyell Malen goal, assisted by former Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. The goal was enough to see Dortmund walk into the half time with a slender lead.
However, things heated up in the second half as inside the first 10 minutes, PSV were awarded a controversial penalty after referee pointed to the spot on the basis of Mats Hummels' challenge on Tillman, and VAR didn't overturn the verdict, which led to the on-field decision to stay on, and PSV legend Luuk De Jong converted the spot kick to make it 1-1 in the 56th minute and it remained the same till the full time whistle, as both sides shared the spoils.