Virgil van Dijk is 195 centimeters tall. Not only the Dutch defender's opposing strikers feel this, but also the defenders who defend the 35-year-old giant from Breda from free kicks and corners. He has scored 66 goals in his career - many with headers. The 67th was almost added on Thursday in Amsterdam, in the Nations League game against Germany.
After a corner from Tijjani Reijnders in the 13th minute, van Dijk extended the ball over his shoulder rather than his head past Marc-André ter Stegen, who has been playing at Ajax Amsterdam since this season, into the goal. The Dutch cheered, the Germans looked dismayed after a strong start from their new black underwear. 1-0 – or not?
Video assistant Carlos del Cerro Grande reported to the referee and sent Alejandro José Hernández Hernández to the screen on the sidelines - pointing out that the hit might have been irregular. What exactly it was about initially remained unclear. Striker Brian Brobbey stood in front of the German goalkeeper. In the end, it wasn't a foul on ter Stegen that was punished, but rather an offside position for the Dutchman. The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed this to “Kicker” the day after the game.
It was not just his Spanish compatriot Xavi, who, like Jürgen Klopp, made his debut as coach of the national team, who no longer understood the football world. Brobbey stood in front of Ter Stegen and pushed his massive body into the goalkeeper so that he couldn't get to the ball. Anyone who saw Brobbey's other duels with Jonathan Tah, in which there was hardly any whistle blowing, could at least be surprised at this interpretation. Rightly so, as it now became clear, as Brobbey's offside position was crucial.
The decision downright infuriated Rafael van der Vaart that evening. The expert from the Dutch broadcaster NOS, known as a former Bundesliga player for Hamburger SV, described the decision as an “absolute disgrace”. It's unbelievable, "he (Brian Brobbey, editor) hardly does anything. Of course you can touch each other." In addition, “the goal is awarded first by the referee, the VAR should stay out of it”. But van der Vaart didn't know the actual reason either.
Almost 20 minutes later the ball was on the other side in the Dutch goal. Once again, Orange's faces turned red with anger. And again Brobbey was involved. After a duel with Tah, the striker wanted to sprint forward, but grabbed his right leg in pain and fell to the ground. The fans whistled, the German Nadiem Amiri noticed and slowly played the ball to Joshua Kimmich.
But the captain sped up the game again by looking forward and seeing right-back Philipp Treu. Karim Adeyemi found his cross. His attempt was blocked, but Felix Nmecha shot the rebounding ball into the goal. However, the first "well-wisher" in the German cheering group that ran towards the fan block was a Dutchman: Denzel Dumfries was extremely upset about Kimmich's continuation of the game.
The German captain was later not aware of any guilt. “In general, it is the referee’s job to stop the game,” he said calmly. He does that when he has a head injury, which obviously didn't occur. “There is no rule that the ball should be played out of bounds.” So Kimmich continued playing. He also referred to the new rules, which are intended to increase the flow of the game and prevent time play.
Jürgen Klopp argued similarly. He noticed the hesitation among the players after Amiri's pass, but also said, looking at the referee: "He didn't interrupt. And then the game continues." His team “started playing a bit earlier than the Netherlands”. If that had happened to his team, he would have given them some advice: “You have to keep playing, especially in defense.”
But the Dutch wouldn't have done that. “We made great use of it with a really great campaign.” His conclusion: "The goal is completely legitimate. That's why I don't have a guilty conscience. I would have one if it hadn't been legitimate. I would have taken it anyway, but I would just have a guilty conscience. But I don't have that." And the late 1-1 draw calmed the Dutch down a bit in the end.
