Bayern played 17 seconds with 12 players due to a substitution error

An unusual mistake has stolen the limelight this Saturday from Bayern Munich's comfortable victory in their visit to Freiburg (1-4).

In the 84th minute, when the score was 1-3, the Bavarian coach, Julian Nagelsmann, decided to exhaust the substitutions.

In the third substitution window, the German coach included Marcel Sabitzer in the match instead of Kingsley Coman, who had just scored his team's third goal with a right foot from outside the area.

The Frenchman did not find out that he was the substitute and continued on the field despite the fact that Sabitzer had already taken his position.

The match continued for a few seconds until Freiburg central defender Nico Schlotterbeck alerted the referee to the situation: Bayern were playing with 12 players.

Christian Dingert, referee of the match, has stopped the game and, after appeasing the spirits of the Freiburg players, has talked with his assistants for several minutes through the earpiece.

After a break in which uncertainty has taken over the stadium, the match has resumed.

Shortly after, Nagelsmann's men sealed the victory with a fourth goal, precisely from Sabitzer.

Now Bayern, who lead the Bundesliga with a nine-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, could lose all three points if Freiburg decides to appeal the game.

According to the rules of the German Football Federation (DFB), “if a player who is not eligible to play takes part in the match, his team will lose by two goals to nil, giving victory to the team rival".

These three points could be key to the outcome of the Bundesliga, as Dortmund still have a game to play to be level with Bayern.

In any case, for the victory to change hands, Freiburg, fifth-placed and in the midst of fighting to enter the Champions League positions, must issue a formal complaint to the DFB.

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