Drama in Hradec Králové: a 125th-minute penalty, a brawl, and a red card for the coach in the match against Panathinaikos

Football club Hradec Králové crashed out of the European competition after a scandalous match against Greek side Panathinaikos, which ended with a 125th-minute penalty awarded to the visitors. German referee Sascha Stegemann confirmed the decisive call after consulting the video replay — according to the club, Greek striker Cyriel Dessers allegedly stepped on a home defender.

"An unfortunate situation. The referee went to review the replay and awarded the penalty. At that moment, I wouldn't wish what you're feeling on anyone. A huge emptiness," admitted a devastated coach David Horejš. Defender Filip Čihák, who had already been furiously shouting at Dessers as he lay on the pitch even before the video review, added: "I haven't seen the footage yet, but they say he stepped on him. That's incredibly painful. From where I stood, I didn't see any contact — I thought he'd simply gone down to win a penalty. Unfortunately, it turned out that's exactly what happened."

Penalty and red cards

The German referee's decision sparked a storm of emotions in the stands: whistling, angry jeers, chants of "UEFA mafia." Beer cups were thrown onto the pitch. "Please support the team properly — outbursts like this could cost us dearly," the stadium announcer pleaded for calm.

Coach David Horejš, unable to contain his emotions, shouted at the head referee and angrily kicked a bottle toward the fourth official, earning himself a red card. Team captain Vladimír Darida also lost his composure, as did Daniel Trubač, who picked up a yellow card for unsporting behavior.

Already in stoppage time of the second half of extra time, the match had turned into a full-blown standoff, which continued throughout the lengthy video review of the penalty incident. After a header from Zadražil, the home side demanded another penalty of their own, but the officials didn't bow to pressure from the entire stadium — the match ended in a narrow, painful defeat for Hradec Králové. "We talked about that moment in the locker room — they say there was a handball. But I'm not the referee, so it's not for me to judge," the home defender remarked bitterly.

Brawl after the final whistle

The conflict didn't die down once the game ended. One of the Panathinaikos players began provoking home fans, prompting Tomáš Petrášek to rush over and strike his opponent. Other players got dragged into the scuffle, and match organizers struggled to defuse the situation.

"We stayed calm! But their player kicked a bottle toward our fans, and I felt responsible for protecting them. We ran over and maybe got into a scrap, but then everything settled down," Čihák explained what happened after the final whistle. Horejš added: "Of course, all of this was hard to take. We have to accept the result. We couldn't let them celebrate like that. They were celebrating, they were euphoric, and one of them kicked a bottle at people."

A disputed disallowed goal

Beyond the post-match incidents and the contentious closing stages of extra time, Hradec Králové's players and coach were also outraged by another episode in the 102nd minute. After a battle for the ball, Čihák struck a shot that hit the far post and went into the net — but by then the German referee had already blown his whistle, and the goal was disallowed.

"We were fighting for the ball at the same moment. If I did touch him, it was maybe on the sole of his boot, but I really don't understand what foul that could have been. Unfortunately, the referee didn't let the play continue," the home defender complained. Coach Horejš agreed: "That was a legitimate goal. But the referee had already blown the whistle, and once that happens you can't go back to the replay to award it. I don't understand it — it was some kind of mix-up."

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Source: sport.cz