Skarke slams handball call after late disallowed goal
Tim Skarke has reflected on Darmstadt's bitter 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen, in which he had a late goal disallowed for handball.
Darmstadt thought they had won the match against Werder Bremen when Tim Skarke made it 2-1 in stoppage time, but their joy turned to disappointment when the goal was disallowed.
Following a VAR review, Skarke was adjudged to have handled the ball in the situation that led to the goal when he intercepted a pass from Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer.
Speaking after the game, the Darmstadt attacker questioned the handball rule, which caused his goal to be disallowed.
"For me, the rule is nonsense because the goalkeeper shoots at me with his arm from a very short distance, but I want to see the scene with my own eyes first," Skarke said in a post-match interview.
The draw means Darmstadt remain bottom of the table, four points behind FC Köln in the relegation playoff spot and 10 points behind 15th-placed Augsburg, who are just above the drop zone with a game in hand.
Despite the threat of relegation, Skarke insists Darmstadt have by no means given up hope of staying up.
"It's bitter for us because we gave everything today and unfortunately it wasn't enough for three points. But we can't bury our heads in the sand, we have to keep going. The belief is definitely there," said Skarke.