Demand for replay after Leverkusen's 'phantom goal'

Hoffenheim have called for a replay after losing 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen thanks to a freak "phantom goal" as the German Football Federation prepares to investigate.

Leverkusen are now third on the Bundesliga as Stefan Kiessling's 70th-minute winner at Hoffenheim was scored in bizarre circumstances. Replays showed his header only ended in the back of the net after flying through a hole in the side netting.

In the immediate wake of the goal, Kiessling could be seen waving his arms in frustration at what he clearly thought was a miss. But with the ball in the net, he was quickly congratulated by teammates and match official Felix Brych, a Fifa referee, awarded the goal.

A DFB sports court is set to meet tomorrow to investigate the goal, with Hoffenheim expected to lodge an appeal while Brych files a report.

"It's a scandal. We are definitely going to protest," Hoffenheim director Alexander Rosen fumed. "That was no goal, there are no two ways about it."

Kiessling admitted replays left him cringing. "My immediate thought was that the ball didn't go in," the 29-year-old Germany striker said. "Then everyone came to [congratulate] me and I saw the ball was in the net.

"What was I supposed to do? I was surprised and I told the referee that. When I see the pictures of the goal, it's a crap situation. People are being offensive towards me, but there's nothing I can do about that. I didn't realise what was going on during the game."