🏅 Bundesliga Awards: The VAR lifeline and Handy-Gate at Hertha

A lot happened on Matchday 25, and here we honor the best, worst and weirdest moments with our Bundesliga awards.

Had referee Tobias Stieler been successful, Leverkusen’s Amine Adli would have been sent off yesterday because of two swallows in the penalty area. But since the VAR exists, it is no longer just about the referee. And at least Tobias Stieler thinks that’s a good thing.

Because in both cases the impartial Adli had done wrong. “Today was a great example of the perfect collaboration with the video assistant. He saved my life,” Stieler said in an interview with ‘DAZN’ after the game.

So while the referee often complains after the game, that’s exactly what VAR was able to prevent yesterday. « Both teams were happy because the right decision was made, that’s what matters most. The players thanked them for their good performance, and you don’t hear that every day from both teams. » , he said happily.

And you don’t just want to be happy with Tobias Stieler, but also with the video evidence. Because you really don’t hear praise for VAR every day.

No, it’s not about Maite Kelly’s 2021 hit. It’s about Rani Khedira, who finally scored his first competitive goal for the Köpenickers after 6,986 minutes in a Union Berlin shirt.

And if it works now with scored goals, then nothing stands in the way of another debut – the one in the DFB shirt. Give yourself a shake, Hansi!

Raphael Guerreio’s BVB contract expires at the end of the season and just a few weeks ago that would probably have prompted little more than a shrug from most Dortmund residents. But with the gala against Cologne, that could still change.

In Guerreiro’s case, many BVB fans would certainly subscribe to the Witness Day analogy by Twitter user @DerMalteDuerr. The Portuguese, thriving again in his new eighth-placed role, still has a total of nine Bundesliga assignments ahead of him. Who knows if there won’t even be more than 4 coming out.

The image of the « Big City Club » was buried only recently. There should be more calm in Hertha again. A few days later, this wish was again directly torpedoed. In the duel in the basement between Berlin and TSG Hoffenheim, not only was there a bankruptcy against direct competition, but there was also a scene on the Hertha bench, which caused further discontent among the fans.

Florian Niederlechner, who was substituted at half-time, was mocked thoroughly on his mobile phone. The attacker has not checked the latest TikToks or Insta-Reels, nor bet on Clash Royale or Candy Crush. In order to contain the shit that had already erupted on social media, he issued a statement immediately after the match: “Dear Hertha fans, absolutely unfortunate scene. But I only checked the results of the other competitors with my teammate! No more! I just want to stay in the league!

Even though Niederlechner provided understandable reasons, the ‘Handy-Gate’ certainly didn’t help the capital club to calm down again.

As known, the official Bundesliga logo is not based on any existing player. It is a symbolic image in the truest sense. Augsburg’s Ermedin Demirović at least sent in his personal league application in the duel with Schalke. His high leg against Tom Krauss was penalized with a red. color, pose, competition. With its hara-kiri action, everything fits together compared to the original.

Eintracht Frankfurt lost 2-0 to Union Berlin yesterday, and Oliver Glasner turned that into a real PK-Mourinho.

However, there are deductions in the Mourinho B grade. Because for the ‘better shut up’ resolution, Glasner ultimately said quite a bit.