Explained: Why Bayern Munich said their Champions League semifinal loss to Real Madrid ended in a ‘betrayal’
Thomas Tuchel couldn’t contain his emotions after his side’s narrow and late loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.
“There was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee,” Tuchel told TNT Sports. “It feels like a betrayal in the end. There was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch and we were almost there. Now we say congratulations to Real Madrid.”
What happened?
The Bayern manager was referring to a late strike from Matthijs de Ligt in the 103rd minute – a possible equaliser for the Germans – which was quickly denied by the linesman as offside.
However, as the broadcasters showed a replay of De Ligt’s run towards the goal, it looked like the Dutch defender wasn’t ahead of Madrid’s last line of defence. But since the referee had stopped the game with his whistle following the linesman’s decision, VAR was unable to intervene and the goal was not allowed to stand.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes would suggest that the sideline official had raised his flag too early. “I’m not sure it’s offside. For the linesman to put his flag up… he’s too hasty. He’s got to wait,” Scholes would suggest on TNT Sports.
What did the linesman say?
After the game, De Ligt conceded that Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, the linesman who deemed his run for the stoppage time goal as offside, had apologized to him after the game.
“The linesman said to me I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I can’t buy anything for that. I’m not the type of person who wants to blame a loss or win on the referee but it means you have to win because you win 2-1. I think if it’s a rule, it’s a rule,” De Ligt told beIN Sports.
The Bayern centre-back added, “I don’t want to say that Real
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