Yahoo Sports RB Leipzig irked by non-foul-call on Florian Wirtz in draw with Bayer Leverkusen
Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig split the difference in a 2-2 draw on match-day 19 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign on Saturday afternoon. Marco Rose’s German Red Bulls battled back from a 0-2 deficit to nick a point off Xabi Alonso’s Werkself. Leipzig full-back David Raum pulled the first goal back and in the opinion of the defender, Leverkusen should have never been allowed to rush out to a 2-0 lead in the first place.
Aleix Garcia scored Leverkusen’s second goal in the 36th minute. Controversy nevertheless reigned as – in the run-up to the play – Florian Wirtz appeared to impede Raum by (perhaps unintentionally) pinning his leg. Raum, RB captain Willi Orban, and club sporting director Marcel Schäfer all spoke on the incident after the full-time whistle.
“That was a scene that decided the game,” Raum told the Sky microphones after the match, “I was on the ball first, then I just felt it on my calf. I’m not accusing him of intent and I’m not calling for a red card. But it’s at least a foul, and I think everyone agrees with me on that. I think if we show it to Flo [Wirtz], he’ll also say it’s a foul.“
Raum did fit a joke in when discussing the action of his German national team colleague. With a sly grin, the full-back noted that perhaps Wirtz “felt comfortable there [on his calf] and wanted to practice his stabilising stretches.” Schäfer and Orban weren’t necessarily in a joking mood.
“You can clearly see that he has one foot on the calf,” Schäfer said in his post-match interview. “In the second half, Xavi [Simons] would get booked for something similar. The least he [match-official Felix Zwayer] could do is go and take a look. It’s extremely bitter that the goal was scored like that. From my point of view, it was the wrong decision.”
“That’s unsportsmanlike behaviour from Wirtz,” Orban added. “He pressed down on David with his body weight. I think the [replay] pictures speak for themselves.“
