Adjectives fall short as footballers' inexplicable acts force referee to give dual penalties in ‘crazy’ match
Furth goalkeeper Nahuel Noll rolled the ball out to centreback Gideon Jung as the visiting team looked to build from the back. However, Jung had a loss of focus, and lifted the ball with his hands within his own area, thinking it was a goal-kick for his team.
An extremely bizarre scene unfolded in the 2. Bundesliga, the second division of German football, in a match between FC Magdeburg and Greuther Furth. In an occasion that no football fan is likely to have seen before, the two teams traded strange but very similar penalties, with defenders on both sides going through brain fades at crucial moments in the match.
It was early in the match at Magdeburg's Avnet Arena, with the score at 0-0, when Furth goalkeeper Nahuel Noll rolled the ball out to centreback Gideon Jung as the visiting team looked to build from the back. However, Jung had a loss of focus, and lifted the ball with his hands within his own area, thinking it was a goal-kick for his team.
The referee made one of the easiest handball decisions any professional is likely to be faced with after this incident. To make matters even more chaotic, a poor penalty by striker Mohammed El Hankouri was saved by Noll. Unfortunately, his save rebounded to a player on the wing, who whipped it right back in for El Hankouri to immediately make amends by converting the cross to make it 1-0.
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Hosts Magdeburg scored another goal to go up 2-0 in the first half, with a win meaning they would have gone top of the table in the 2. Bundesliga, with a chance at promotion to the Bundesliga proper for the first time in history.
Unfortunately, there was a bizarre handball error of their own waiting in the wings. 5 minutes before halftime, Furth striker Robert Massimo was bearing down on Magdeburg's goal when he was brought down from behind by a defender.
While it was undoubtedly a foul outside the box, Magdeburg defender Daniel Heber didn't wait for the referee's whistle, as he too instinctively picked up the ball. Once again, it was an unforced error and handball foul within the area, and the referee once again had no option but to award a penalty.
Julian Green made no mistake with his spot-kick, sending the keeper the wrong way and bringing Furth within one.
Magdeburg, with an opportunity to go top, would rue this window of opportunity they provided to the visitors. Noel Futkeu equalised midway through the second half, which means both teams finished the match with one point each after the draw.
At the end of the eighth matchday, Magdeburg sit one point behind pacesetters FC Dusseldorf, who lost the promotion playoff match at the end of last season. Furth, meanwhile, sit solidly in midtable in tenth place.
