MSV Duisburg’s 0:3 home defeat against 1860 Munich was definitely avoidable. Torsten Ziegner also criticised referee Martin Petersen after the game.

It was the scene that was most discussed in the aftermath of Duisburg’s home defeat against TSV 1860 München (0:3). At the centre of attention: “Löwen” centre-back Jesper Verlaat.

At the start, the brawny defender knocked out MSV newcomer Thomas Pledl. Torsten Ziegner was unable to give any information about the severity of his shoulder injury or Rolf Feltscher’s bandaged ankle. In the middle of the second half, the Dutchman was lucky not to be shown a yellow card after a clear tactical foul against Alaa Bakir in front of his own sixteen. When he was substituted immediately afterwards, the 27-year-old thanked the referee and was then escorted into the dressing room to a roar of whistles.

The Zebras were pressing at 0:2, and the chances to tie the game up with eleven against ten men would have been immensely higher. “It’s hard to win a game like that because there were a lot of imponderables, some of which we couldn’t influence,” said Ziegner at the press conference afterwards, and was anything but happy with the “unspeakable reasoning” of the referee.

The coach continued: “That was the crowning touch and also led to us not coming back. He said that it was already a yellow card, but that the player ran away from the goal when he was fouled and that Verlaat was already prejudiced. Someone needs to explain this plausibility to me. I didn’t understand it. “

In terms of play, however, the coach could not reproach his team much. Ziegner felt the 0:1 interval deficit was even less dramatic. “We were sensible in the game and got our chances. Bakalorz’s cross before the 0:2 was bad. That doesn’t happen every day. 1860 were ice-cold. But we didn’t give up until the end.”

The Meiderichers don’t have much time to work things over. Already on Tuesday (7 p.m.), the Ziegner eleven is challenged in the English week under floodlights at Halleschen FC.