Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, November 25, 2025, 08:35 / Updated Tuesday, November 25, 2025 08:54
In minute 45+2 of FC Botoșani – Dinamo 1-1Kennedy Boateng stepped on the hosts' striker, Kovtalyuk, who was unable to play in the second half. Three analysts agreed: the dynamist had to be eliminated.
At the end of the first half in Botoșani – Dinamo, in the 44th minute, Sebastian Mailat opened the scoring. It could have been an even better end of the half for the Moldovans, if the referee Sebastian Colțescu had eliminated Kennedy Boateng in '45, one phase from the Dynamo square.
In that sequence of play, forward Mykola Kovtalyuk was looked for by Ongenda with a pass between the lines, in future position. Left stopper Stoinov slid in and cleared the ball. The other stopper, Kennedy Boateng, collected in turn, and at the moment of contact between Stoinov and Kovtalyuk, he jumped to avoid a direct collision with the opponent.
upon landing, Boateng stepped on the Ukrainian striker's ankle with his left foot. It was an extremely hard hit, after which Kovtalyuk could not continue the game.
“Central” Sebastian Colțescu whistled a foul in the attack, sanctioning the way Kovtalyuk entered Stoinovbut not the shot that Boateng inflicted on the Ukrainian. Even the referees in the VAR room, Cătălin Popa and Stelian Slabu, did not feel like intervening.
They agreed: Kennedy Boateng had to be eliminated in Botoșani – Dinamo
With the phase analyzed later in the PrimaSport studio, the conclusion was clear: Boateng should have been eliminated!
“He's red, no question! He's got a huge intensity! I didn't see it during the match, but he's bright red! No way, he breaks his leg, he's out of the game! He's killed, he's replaced! He's going as hard as he can,” said the commentator Bogdan Cosmescu.
“She's so ugly! She wants to [să-l calce]so it seems”, he also said Basarab Panduru.
Constantine Zottaa former referee, finally ruled the pair right: “He jumps. The first impression I had is that he wanted to avoid stepping on him. If we considered that he wanted to step on him, then it is a penalty and a red card. In the first phase, when he jumps, I have the impression that he wants to avoid.
What makes me think you guys are right is that they are looking down. The moment he is in the air, he looks as if to see where to land with his foot. Rewatching the phase now, I think he fouled in the attack (no – about Kovtalyuk). Foul for Dinamo and red for Boateng”.
In the second half, Dinamo equalized through Raul Opruț, so the final score was 1-1.
