Player Raum about the referee: "A bit grim"

After RB Leipzig's Champions League knockout in the round of 16 at Real Madrid, the referee's performance was once again the subject of discussion. In particular, the scene in the 54th minute, when Vinicius Junior first fouled Leipzig's captain and defensive boss Willi Orban and then sent him to the ground on the halfway line with an assault, caused a stir. "I'll be honest: if one of our players goes for the neck of an opponent like that, he'll be sent off one hundred percent," said international Benjamin Henrichs after the 1:1 on Wednesday evening, adding: "And then, of course, it's bitter that Vinicius scores the goal, even though he's not actually allowed to be on the pitch."

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti defended his star, who had given Leipzig a flattering lead in the 65th minute: "He pushed too hard. I didn't see a red card for that." Leipzig's David Raum had a different perception of Italian referee Davide Massa. "I wouldn't say strange, but the way he spoke to me and my teammates was a bit grim. He's certainly a good referee, but we're also nice and cool guys. He can talk to us normally. The Madrid players were spoken to a bit more politely," said the defender, who crossed for Orban in the 68th minute, who equalized with a header from a pike.

After the goal theft in the first leg, when a header from Benjamin Sesko was disallowed in the opening stages and the video assistant did not intervene, it was now the second controversial action from the referees. "First and foremost, it's a shame that we have to talk about the referee's performance in the Champions League. It must be clear that top referees are sent in. He is certainly a top referee, but he made a few wrong decisions," said Raum. He was encouraged by the feedback from opponents Antonio Rüdiger and Jude Bellingham. "Overall, Madrid know we played a really good game, I think they're also taking a deep breath in the dressing room and are happy to have progressed."