Dortmund boss slams referee after draw at Hoffenheim

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has slammed the referee who sent off their Germany international winger Marco Reusfor in their 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim.

Hoffenheim remain the only unbeaten team in Germany’s top flight this season after Friday night’s game.

Mark Uth put hosts Hoffenheim ahead with just three minutes gone before Sandro Wagner made it 2-0 with a header on 20 minutes.

Dortmund hit back with Germany’s World Cup winner Mario Goetze netting on 11 minutes before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised just after the break.

It was the Gabon striker’s 16th league goal of the season.

But Dortmund played the entire second-half with 10n men after Reus’ dismissal and Watzke was furious by the performance of referee Benjamin Brand.

The official missed Wagner’s push on Dortmund’s Sven Bender just before the Hoffenheim striker headed his goal at the sold-out Rhein Neckar Arena.

And he missed a pull by Hoffenheim’s Nadiem Amiri on Reus, who then earned a second yellow – and subsequent red on 41 minutes – having already been booked early on.

“I’m happy (with the result), but still annoyed by these unbelievable incorrect decisions in the first-half, that is clear,” Watzke told Sky.

“Everyone saw the push (from Wagner) and the referee was five metres away. That’s crazy! It’s incomprehensible.”

There was, however, some good news for Dortmund, who had Ousmane Dembele stretchered off, but the French winger only had a bruised thigh.

“It was hard game and to get a draw with 10 men was more than deserved,” said Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer.

Hoffenheim had their chances to win the game when Wagner fired against the post in the second half.

The draw left Hoffenheim third and Dortmund fifth before the weekend’s other matches.

Dortmund earned a point despite injury to first-choice goalkeeper Roman Burki, defenders Sokratis, Lukasz Piszczek and Erik Durm, plus midfielders Raphael Guerreiro, Gonzalo Castro, Sebastian Rode and Nuri Sahin.