Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri was mistakenly shown a red card just seconds into Borussia Dortmund's goalless Bundesliga draw with Union Berlin on Saturday, after a heavy challenge on Tom Rothe.
Referee Daniel Schlager quickly realised he had pulled the wrong card from his pocket and corrected his mistake, showing Nwaneri a yellow card instead and allowing him to continue playing.
Mixed reviews from German media
Despite avoiding dismissal, the 19-year-old struggled to make an impact and was substituted shortly after the hour mark. German media were divided on his performance.
Bild described Dortmund's start as 'nothing short of explosive' and Nwaneri's challenge as 'brutal'. Local newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten awarded him a 5/10 rating, suggesting he has yet to prove his worth.
Goal claimed Nwaneri was Dortmund's most dangerous player during his 60 minutes on the pitch, while other assessments described him as 'largely anonymous'. Ran was more critical, giving him a rating of 5 for a 'mostly negative' performance characterised by 'poor ball control' and 'inaccurate finishing'.
Dortmund's struggles continue
Dortmund sporting director Nils-Ole Book criticised the team for a lack of courage, saying: "We're disappointed. We wanted to do a lot more. To get in behind, you need to play with more courage all over the field. We started doing that far too late. When we're bolder, we play really good football and are able to put pressure on our opponents."
Nwaneri, the Premier League's youngest-ever player, has made seven appearances for Dortmund across the Bundesliga and Champions League. He has started four league matches but is yet to feature in the starting XI for a European fixture.
Dortmund, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bodo/Glimt earlier this week, face Azerbaijani side Sabah on Tuesday as they look to secure their second win in the competition.
