Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and his players were sharply critical of the decision to send off Luis Díaz in Saturday’s draw at Bayer Leverkusen, with the referee later admitting he had made a mistake.
Bayern salvaged a 1-1 draw despite clinging on with nine players in the Bundesliga matchup as Harry Kane returned to action following an injury.
Díaz, who scored the equalizer following Aleix García’s opener, was sent off in the 84th minute for a second yellow card for diving. Nicolas Jackson, starting with Kane on the bench, received a straight red card for a poor tackle in the 42nd minute.
Referee Christian Dingert admitted after the game that it wasn’t the right call to send off Díaz after viewing a replay, in comments to broadcaster Sky Sport.
“Yeah, the Luis Díaz … is never a second yellow card, it’s never a yellow card,” Kompany said. “We can debate if it’s a penalty or not, but that’s the only debate we can have because there is contact.
“And as well if you see the face afterwards, he stands up straight away, he cannot be more honest in this face, he falls down because there’s contact, he stands up straight away and he gets a yellow, second yellow, and now he’s suspended for the next game.”
Leverkusen took the lead in the sixth minute after 18-year-old German-American winger Montrell Culbreath stole the ball off Díaz and fed it to Patrik Schick, who set up García on the edge of the box. The midfielder slotted home with a deflected shot.
The hosts defended well to contain Bayern’s attempts to come back, and frustration showed when Jackson was sent off before halftime for a late challenge on Martin Terrier.
Bayern played with third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich because Manuel Neuer has a calf issue and backup Jonas Urbig was concussed in the 6-1 win over Atalanta midweek in the Champions League. Ulreich denied an effort from Schick in a one-on-one situation at the hour mark just before Kane came on.
“The guys have known me a long time and know I’m there when needed,” Ulreich said. “You could sense that this week in training. They have full confidence in me. And we have a great team of goalkeepers. Both guys messaged me before the game to wish me luck and were happy I got to play today.
“There’s real harmony in our goalkeeping group. I’m pleased to be a part of that and this team.”
Back from a calf injury, Kane played for the first time since Feb. 28 after scoring eight goals in his past four Bundesliga games. He fired the ball into an empty net in the 62nd minute but it was disallowed for blocking the goalkeeper’s clearance with a hand in the buildup.
Díaz leveled in the 69th with a low shot from Michael Olise’s precise setup. When the Colombia winger was shown a second yellow card, Bayern was down to nine men with six minutes left to play. The hosts could not snatch the win despite pushing hard until the end as Jonas Hofmann had a goal ruled out deep in stoppage time.
“I’m incredibly proud of the mental performance the guys showed,” Kompany said of his team. “There was an incredible amount of things going on today.”
Bayern hasn’t won at Leverkusen in the league since October 2021, and heads back there next month for a German Cup semifinal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
