Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovač has accused the video assistant referee (VAR) of denying his team a crucial penalty in their 2-2 draw against RB Leipzig. Kovač, a former judoka, described the challenge in the 89th minute between Karim Adeyemi and Castello Lukeba as a "sickle" and a "sweeper," asserting that Adeyemi was fouled and a penalty should have been awarded. He believes the VAR officials in the studio, who have access to the same replays, made a clear error by not intervening. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl echoed Kovač's sentiment, stating that the VAR should have prompted the on-field referee to award a penalty, which could have altered the game's outcome. The match saw goals from Christoph Baumgartner (20'/39') and an own goal by Romulo (50') for Leipzig, with Fabio Silva scoring a late equalizer for Dortmund in the 90+5th minute.