Referee admits Hamburg penalty error as HSV face Frankfurt Sunday

📰 Hamburg, beaten 3-1 by Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal, meet the same opponent again in the Bundesliga within a week. The referee has admitted a penalty would have been the better decision. 📌 Key points 🏆 Hamburg lost 3-1 at home to Frankfurt in the cup second round on 27 October. 🟨 In the 35th minute Zakaria El Ouahdi went down in a duel with Robin Koch and no whistle came. 🎙️ Referee Tobias Stieler told Sky a penalty would have been the better decision. 🩹 Injuries left Hamburg using an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old in defence after the break. 🔁 They visit Frankfurt on 1 November at 17:30 local time. 📝 What happened ⚖️ El Ouahdi went down in the box under challenge from Frankfurt captain Koch. Stieler did not whistle and the VAR did not intervene. Afterwards Stieler told Sky a penalty would have been the better call, though he said letting play go on was not completely wrong. 😤 Head coach Merlin Polzin called it the key scene and said a penalty would have helped his side through. Sporting director Costa also saw a clear penalty and pointed to Frankfurt's Collins escaping a second yellow card shortly after the break, but did not blame the officials alone, SPORT1 reported. 🩹 Hamburg also lost 1-0 at Paderborn on Saturday after a claimed foul before the winning goal, ending a run of three wins. Sebastiaan Bornauw went off with a jaw injury, Nicolas Capaldo and Jordan Torunarigha have muscle problems, and Fabio Vieira and Bilal Nadir are long-term absentees. 📊 By the numbers • DFB-Pokal second round: Hamburg 1-3 Frankfurt • Disputed incident: 35th minute • Previous league game: 0-1 at Paderborn, after three straight wins • Second-half defenders: Shafiq Nandja, 19, and Jason Bissi-Mouelle, 18 👀 Talking points 🔄 A rematch within days — Hamburg will want to be sharper in front of goal this time. 🩹 Defensive options — the return of Bornauw, Torunarigha and Capaldo could change the back line used in the cup. 🔭 Why it matters Hamburg's cup exit and the Paderborn loss have dented a recent upturn. The trip to Frankfurt on 1 November is a chance to respond.