Players were ordered back onto the pitch after retiring to the changing room at halftime, because the video assistant referee (VAR) awarded a penalty for a handball in Mainz's 2-0 win over Freiburg.
Referee Guido Winkmann, who was also on his way to the tunnel, ordered the players to return so that Mainz's Pablo De Blasis could take a penalty for a handball that the VAR noticed after the halftime whistle had blown.
Freiburg coach Christian Streich, who was recently sent off for dissent in a league match, was on the sideline smiling and shaking his head in disbelief, after being told to get his players back out.
De Blasis followed the penalty, officially recorded in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, with a second goal in the 78th minute to seal the win.
The VAR system has been used in the Bundesliga this season, but not without controversy, as it has been at the centre of several disputed decisions.
The match was also punctuated by protests from spectators against Monday-night games in the competition - they showered the goal at one end with toilet paper.
Reuters
