Sporting director Ralf Rangnick is facing possible disciplinary action after confronting the referee during RB Leipzig's German Cup defeat to Bayern Munich. The game was overshadowed by controversial decisions.
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
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RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick is facing possible disciplinary action after attempting to show referee Felix Zwayer video evidence during the German Cup second round defeat to Bayern Munich.
The 59-year-old ran onto the pitch at half-time intent on showing Zwayer a replay of a controversial incident.
Zwayer had initially awarded Leipzig a penalty when Bayern's Arturo Vidal brought down Emil Forsberg on the edge of the box. Following protests from the Bayern players and consultation with his assistant, Zwayer then reversed the decision, ruling the incident had taken place outside the area.
Rangnick has been working with RB Leipzig since 2012.Image: picture-alliance/dpa
"It is normal for sporting directors to talk to referees in a calm and factual manner in situations like that," Rangnick told German tabloid Bild. "That is all I did. But it would have been better to do it in the tunnel."
The German football association (DFB) on Thursday launched an investigation into his actions. Rangnick must now provide a written statement.
Hummels: 'Unsportsmanlike behavior'
"I can't imagine that something like that is allowed or wanted," said Bayern and Germany centre-back Mats Hummels, who tried to prevent Rangnick from reaching Zwayer. "I told Mr. Rangnick that it wasn't necessary and that it was unsporting. I kept the points relatively factual from my side."
Former Bundesliga referee Peter Gagelmann, now a television expert working for Sky Germany, also gave his thoughts on the incident: "When a member of the club's hierarchy leaves the stands to come onto the pitch and show the referee an incident on his mobile phone, then I find that incredibly poor."
Even Rangnick's colleague, Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhüttl was less than impressed, saying: "Of course, this is not on. This can lead the referee to think: he cannot approach me like that."
Mired in controversy
The rescinded penalty was by far the only reason Leipzig felt aggreived. Shortly after half-time, their star player Naby Keita was shown a second yellow card for tugging Robert Lewandowski's shirt.
The ensuing dismissal was "justified," as Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge put it. However, Keita himself had been a regular victim of fouls that went unheeded.
In addition, a whole host of Bayern players could count themselves fortunate not to have suffered Keita's fate. Already on yellow cards, the likes of Arturo Vidal, Joshua Kimmich and Jerome Boateng all escaped with warnings despite subsequently commiting fouls that could have been adjuged bookable offenses on another day.
"An outstanding game was destroyed in an instance. With a bit of tact, you don't need to give Naby the second yellow," said Hasenhüttl. "He was booked for his first foul, but was fouled himself three times without consequence. The double standards in the decisions were very hard to take."
German Cup Round 2 in Pictures
The big guns are all through to the last 16 draw on Sunday. Bayern shrugged off dogged 10-man RB Leipzig on penalties while holders Dortmund easily beat Magdeburg and there were rare wins for Cologne and Bremen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
RB Leipzig 1-1 Bayern Munich. Bayern win 5-4 on pens
Leipzig forward Timo Werner missed from the spot as Bayern prevailed following an enthralling encounter. Leipzig were hampered by Naby Keita being dismissed for a second booking on 54 minutes but fought valiantly. Emil Forsberg had put the hosts ahead with a penalty on 68 minutes but Thiago's header (pictured) levelled the scores soon after.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Michael
Werder Bremen 1-0 Hoffenheim
Ishak Belfodil grabbed the only goal as Bremen progressed to the last 16 with only their second win of the season, with the other victory coming in the first round. The win eases the pressure slightly on coach Alexander Nouri while counterpart Julian Nagelsmann deals with a stuttering ship.
Image: Imago/Nordphoto
Hertha Berlin 1-3 Cologne
It’s been another turbulent week for Cologne,but they put their woes to one side as they beat Hertha Berlin with an impressive performance at the Olympic Stadium. They may still be without a win in the Bundesliga, but goals from Simon Zoller, Dominic Maroh and Christian Clemens gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead, and Hertha’s only moment of cheer came courtesy of a consolation by Niklas Stark.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Hilse
Freiburg 3-1 Dynamo Dresden
Freiburg had a scare when second tier Dresden went ahead but the Bundesliga side fought back thanks to goals from Nils Petersen, Julian Schuster and Janik Haberer (pictured). The Black Forest side will be dangerous opponents in the last 16 draw, with ties being played on December 19 and 20.
Image: Reuters/R. Orlowski
Wolfsburg 1-0 Hanover
Wolfsburg are still adjusting to life under Martin Schmidt, but the 2015 German Cup winners took another step towards repeating that feat with a hard-fought win over 1992 champions Hanover. Felix Uduokhai struck the winner in the 49th minute, converting after Daniel Didavi's free kick wasn’t cleared by the Hanover defense. The victory is Schmidt’s first as Wolfsburg coach.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Regensburg 2-5 Heidenheim
The non-Bundesliga clash turned out to be the most exciting of Wednesday's ties. Maximilian Thiel (pictured) got Heidenheim on their way with the opener in a topsy turvy match. Heidenheim eventually pulled away with a flurry of goals and will be eyeing a trip to a big name in the next round.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Weigel
Kaiserslautern 1-3 VFB Stuttgart
The hosts took the lead early on but this penalty from Daniel Ginczek pulled the top-flight side level and they never looked back. Chadrac Akolo and Simon Terodde grabbed the other goals. Stuttgart's priority this term is to stay up in the Bundesliga but a bit of Cup glory would not go amiss for their long-suffering fans.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Pressefoto Baumann
Osnabrück 2-3 Nuremberg
The home side went ahead through a penalty from Marcos Alvarez as the third-tier side contemplated a mini-shock against their second division visitors. But Nuremberg roared back to lead 2-1 and although they were pegged back to 2-2, Enrico Valentini snatched the winner after 72 minutes.
Image: Imago/Zink
Magdeburg 0-5 Borussia Dortmund
Just when they needed a lift, Borussia Dortmund got one in Magdeburg. Things looked bleak when Mahmoud Dahoud left with an injury, but Gonzalo Castro replaced him and scored with his first touch. Teenager Alexander Isak got his first goal in German football after the break, before Andriy Yarmolenko, Marc Bartra and Shinji Kagawa all got on the scoresheet.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/H. Schmidt
Schweinfurt 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt
Sebastien Haller (right) cannot stop scoring at the moment. He scored twice — one in each half — against Schweinfurt, putting him on five goals in his last four games. Marius Wolf also scored in his second straight game when he unleashed an unstoppable effort from the edge of the penalty area. Danny Blum added a fourth before the final whistle.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/D. Karmann
Düsseldorf 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
The Rhineland derby did not disappoint. The two teams produced 23 shots in a tense contest. Thorgan Hazard scored the decisive goal in the second half when he cut in from the right and fired a shot past Raphael Wolf. Düsseldorf had a chance to equalize when Tony Jantschke conceded a penalty, but Yann Sommer saved Niko Giesselmann's spot kick.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Leverkusen 4-1 Union Berlin
Five at the weekend, four on Tuesday: the scoring spree continued for the Werkself in the German Cup with Julian Brandt getting his second in two games. Dennis Daube equalized shortly after halftime for Union, but Lucas Alario (middle) restored Leverkusen's lead 12 minutes later. Wendell (above) added a penalty and Charles Aranguiz scored from a free kick before the final whistle.
Image: Imago/Uwe Kraft
Wehen Wiesbaden 1-3 Schalke
The drought is over. Schalke striker Franco Di Santo was swarmed by his teammates after scoring his first goal in 598 days. He gave Schalke an early lead before Guido Burgstaller doubled it four minutes later. Burgstaller also forced a third when he pushed Alf Mintzel and the Wiesbaden defender headed the ball into his own net. David Blacha got a consolation for Wiesbaden just before the end.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dedert
Mainz 3-2 Holstein Kiel (after extra time)
Viktor Fischer was the man of the moment for Mainz, scoring his first goals since joining the Rhineland-Palatinate side from Middlesbrough. But Mainz conceded penalties after each of his goals, which allowed both Kingsley Schindler and Dominick Drexler to level the score from the spot. Veteran Daniel Brosinski broke the deadlock in extra time with a stellar free kick.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Frey
Greuther Fürth 1-3 Ingolstadt
Freshly-relegated Ingolstadt overcame their fellow Bavarians as they continued their surge under newly appointed Stefan Leitl. David Raum gave Fürth the lead shortly after the break, but Fürth conceded a penalty moments later, which Almog Cohen converted. Stefan Lex then restored Ingolstadt's lead, and Alfredo Morales capped off the performance with a thunderous strike from distance.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Schamberger
Paderborn 2-0 Bochum
Paderborn's strong season continued as the third division leaders upset second-tier side Bochum. Sven Michel (right) scored his 11th of the season in all competitions to get things started. Paderborn's Felix Herzenbruch conceded a penalty when he handled a cross, but Bochum's Felix Bastians hit the spot kick wide. Substitute Massih Wassey sealed the game five minutes from time.
