German media give verdict on Nwaneri after bizarre red card mix up

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Ethan Nwaneri endured another bruising evening on loan at Borussia Dortmund, this time with a bizarre twist inside the opening seconds. The Arsenal forward was shown a red card just 17 seconds into Dortmund's trip to Union Berlin on Saturday, only for referee Daniel Schlager to realise he had pulled the wrong card from his pocket.

Nwaneri put his hands on his head in disbelief as the red was brandished following a robust challenge on Tom Rothe. Schlager quickly corrected himself, downgrading the card to a yellow, and the 19 year old was able to continue. It summed up a frantic start from Dortmund, who also saw Waldemar Anton and Serhou Guirassy booked inside the first quarter of an hour.

The aggressive opening came after Dortmund sporting director Nils-Ole Brinkmann criticised the team for a lack of courage following their midweek Champions League defeat to Bodo/Glimt. Despite the early intent, Dortmund could not find a way past a well organised Union Berlin side, with the match finishing goalless. As has become a pattern for Nwaneri's loan spell, he was substituted shortly after the hour mark.

How German media rated the performance

German outlets did not hold back in their assessment. Bild described Dortmund's start as nothing short of explosive and labelled Nwaneri's tackle on Rothe brutal, noting that even the referee appeared unsure of his own decision before correcting it.

Local paper Ruhr Nachrichten was more pointed, handing Nwaneri a 5 out of 10 rating and suggesting he squandered Dortmund's best chance of the game carelessly. The outlet added that Nwaneri, signed as cover for the injured Giannis Konstantelias at the end of August, has yet to prove his worth at the club, and said he was rightfully substituted.

Kicker took a slightly more balanced view, pointing out that Nwaneri found himself in a good position in the penalty area in first half stoppage time but failed to connect cleanly with the chance that presented itself.

A tough loan spell continues

The draw leaves Dortmund behind Bayern Munich on goal difference after the Bavarian giants thrashed RB Leipzig 6-1 elsewhere in the Bundesliga. Dortmund's attention now turns back to Europe, with a Champions League trip to Sabah on Tuesday before hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in the league next weekend.

For Nwaneri, the loan was designed as a platform to gain regular senior football away from the intense competition for places at Arsenal. So far, game time has not translated into consistent influence, and the German press will be watching closely to see whether he can turn his fortunes around before the north London side assess his progress later in the season.