Referee Stands By Early Red in Bayern’s 5-1 Win Over Hoffenheim as Kompany Apologizes

Hoffenheim leaders denounce the penalty and dismissal as a clear mistake.

Overview

In the 17th minute, Tobias Stieler awarded a penalty and sent off Kevin Akpoguma after contact with Luis Díaz, and Harry Kane converted in the 20th minute.
Stieler said Díaz had a clear scoring opportunity, described the foul as "not a typical football action," and insisted the red card was unavoidable and not a VAR matter.
Head coach Christian Ilzer maintained there was "absolutely no foul" and said the early dismissal deprived the 75,000 in attendance of a top contest.
Sporting director Andreas Schicker argued it was an offensive foul by Díaz and criticized the referee as overwhelmed.
The result stands with no formal review reported as of Monday, and Bayern coach Vincent Kompany apologized to Christian Ilzer over bench celebrations after Díaz’s first-half goal.