Aue fights in vain: controversial penalty costs points against Cottbus!

Aue fights in vain: controversial penalty costs points against Cottbus!

In the duel between FC Erzgebirge Aue and Energie Cottbus, the season so far was not in the best light for Aue. On September 18, 2025 it was the case: Aue unfortunately lost 1:2. This meant the third defeat in a row and catapulted the team to 18th place in the table, where points are urgently needed to improve the situation. Aue coach Jens Härtel, who despite the misery received a job guarantee from sports director Matthias Heidrich, is determined to turn things around and focus on the challenges ahead.

The game itself offered a mixture of hopes and disappointments. Both coaches sent changed starting formations into the race. At Aue, Erik Majetschak and Jannic Ehlers were allowed to start from the start, while Cottbus started with Tim Campulka in central defense and a strike duo of Timmy Thiele and Justin Butler. Aue conceded an early goal in the second minute. Moritz Hannemann gave Cottbus the lead before Julian Guttau restored balance in the 15th minute – his first competitive goal for Aue.

Controversial penalty decides the game

Aue came on strong in the first half, but after the half-time break the guests from Cottbus increasingly had the game under control. Aue couldn't take advantage of a promising chance, and so it happened as it had to happen: in the 67th minute, the decision was made by an extremely controversial penalty.

Marvin Stefaniak from Aue commented sharply on this and described the referee's decision as “absolute impudence”. He was of the opinion that Tolcay Cigerci's foul took place outside the penalty area. Cigerci, on the other hand, explained that it was only a slight touch in the box. Coach Härtel supported his player and made it clear that from his point of view “with the best will in the world it wasn’t a penalty.” Such decisions are often highly controversial and raise questions about referee decisions, which can be crucial to the outcome of a game, as can be read on 100fussball.de.

Outlook and challenges

The encounter against Cottbus leaves Aue with mixed feelings. Despite all their efforts, they had to admit defeat again. Now it's time to tackle the next game against Osnabrück and take revenge for the missed opportunities. Härtel remains optimistic and is passionate about the club, true to the motto: “After the game is before the game!” But the team urgently needs to score points to avoid being in acute danger of relegation.

For Cottbus, the victory meant a jump to fifth place with a total of 11 points - a successful performance that somewhat tempered the joy over the controversial penalty. The season will continue to be exciting as both Aue and Cottbus face numerous challenges both on and off the pitch.