Referee acknowledges missing a crucial penalty in major Superliga showdown

Danish official Jakob Sundberg has acknowledged that a penalty should have been awarded to Mikel Gogorza and FC Midtjylland during their recent match against Brøndby on Sunday.

In the closing moments of the Superliga encounter, Gogorza found himself in a tussle for the ball with Nicolai Vallys from Brøndby. Gogorza fell to the ground following what appeared to be a pull by Vallys inside the penalty area.

Vallys himself later conceded that the incident warranted a penalty, yet referee Jakob Sundberg opted not to award the decision.

In the aftermath, both Gogorza and coach Thomas Thomasberg expressed their frustration with Sundberg’s oversight, struggling to comprehend why such a clear foul went unpunished.

Sundberg has now provided his perspective on the incident, admitting that he made an error:

“After reviewing the incident, my team and I concluded that awarding a penalty would have been the correct course of action.”

“At the time, I believed that both players were engaged in a fair contest for the ball, and unfortunately, my view was obstructed by the positioning of other players.”

“It’s generally accepted that players may use their arms to some extent in such duels, but in this case, the limit was exceeded, constituting an illegal foul.”

“Regrettably, this indicates that VAR should have intervened, and I should have been summoned to the screen to award the penalty,” he explained to bold.dk.

Brøndby went on to secure a 2-0 victory in Herning.