Mönchengladbach midfielder admits fault in controversial challenge during 3-0 Bundesliga loss to Bayern Munich

[OSEN=Jeong Seung-woo reporter] Jens Castrop, 22 years old, Mönchengladbach, who was at the center of the 'murderous tackle' controversy, immediately expressed his apologies after the match.

Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 in the 9th round of the 2025-2026 Bundesliga season held at Borussia Park in Mönchengladbach, Germany on the 26th, Korean time. Although they struggled somewhat in the early stages, they easily took control of the game after the opponent's dismissal in the middle of the first half and secured a complete victory.

The controversial scene occurred in the middle of the first half. Mönchengladbach midfielder Jens Castrop, in an attempt to steal the ball from Luis Díaz of Bayern, charged in with an open sole (exposing the bottom of his foot) and kicked Díaz's shin.

The referee initially showed Castrop a yellow card, but after a video review (VAR), the decision was immediately changed to a red card. Mönchengladbach, now a player down, completely collapsed afterward.

According to German media outlet tZ, after the match, Castrop apologized in an interview, saying, "The dismissal was deserved. Looking at the video, it was a truly foolish moment. Fortunately, I didn't seriously injure Díaz. I'm sorry," and bowed his head.

He added, "Our plan was not to back down in physical battles, but this time, it was an unfortunate situation."

Castrop has been a player whose aggressive tackles due to excessive determination have often been pointed out as issues since his time at Nuremberg. It is known that current Mönchengladbach head coach Eugen Polanski has been consistently working to correct his overly aggressive play.

tZ pointed out, "If Coach Polanski fails to correct Castrop's habits, this won't be his last dismissal."

Fortunately, the victim, Luis Díaz, avoided a serious injury. He continued to play normally afterward, shaking the Mönchengladbach defense several times. Díaz was substituted by Lennart Carl in the 32nd minute of the second half, and Carl put the finishing touch on the victory with another fantastic goal.

In the end, Bayern once again secured a victory without shaking, maintaining their position at the top of the league. On the other hand, Mönchengladbach, after the dismissal, failed to create any turnaround and collapsed helplessly. /reccos23@osen.co.kr

Jens Castrop Apologizes After Red Card Tackle on Luis Díaz