Bundesliga: Novothny celebrated his goal twice due to VAR

In his third Bundesliga appearance, Soma Novothny scored his first goal in the German top league. Bochum's 27-year-old Hungarian striker scored against Hoffenheim on Saturday, with his team winning 2–0.

„It's a fantastic feeling,” told Nemzeti Sport the former DVTK and Újpest footballer who gave an interview in Tuesday's issue of our newspaper on having tough days when he works hard but he isn't allowed on the pitch or isn't included in the squad at all.

„All week I felt something could happen in this match. During the training sessions, the game went well, I scored a lot of goals, I had confidence. There were a number of attacks where I scored after Milos Pantović's pass. When the ball came to him, I could feel when and where he could pass it. I sensed which part of the goal was empty, and I was looking to try and control the ball in that direction. It was an incredible, indescribable feeling, and then came the sobering: VAR looks back at the action. I was scared because I felt in our first pass that I was on the passive offside, but I didn't want to get involved in the attack at the time, so I was hopeful the referees would see that too. Luckily, they did, and even though the investigation was the longest two minutes of my life, in hindsight, I don't mind: I was able to experience the euphoric feeling after scoring twice.”

NOVOTHNY'S GOAL FROM 02:55

A few minutes later, Bochum earned a bizarre penalty. Soma Novothny fell, but there was no foul, and Florian Grillitsch, who accused him of diving, pushed him in anger. Therefore, the penalty was awarded – although goalkeeper Manuel Riemann's kicked the ball over the goal post.

„I didn't want to put on an act, I fell during the duel," the Hungarian striker said. "It was a strange case, but luckily we won despite the missed penalty. It felt really good to have several of my fellow players, including post-rival Sebastian Polter, congratulate me on scoring the most deserved goal they've ever seen. I've worked hard for it, but it's a new week, and just as I had to learn to deal with failures and disappointments, I shouldn't overdo the celebration. My phone exploded with all the messages, which make me feel good, but the work continues, and I'm getting ready for the next round fully recharged.”

After the international break, Leverkusen, that's in the same Europa League group as Ferencváros, hosts Bochum in the Bundesliga.

BUNDESLIGA
ROUND 11
Bochum–Hoffenheim 2–0(Novothny 66., Pantović 90+7.)