De Ligt laments offside call, as Tuchel brands it a 'betrayal'

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt said the linesman apologized to him for raising the flag for offside before he scored what would have been a late equalizer in the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

De Ligt scored deep into stoppage time for what would have been a 2-2 goal that likely would have sent the match into extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But, the goal didn't count because the referee blew the whistle for the offside without letting the play be completed.

"The linesman said to me, 'I'm sorry, I made a mistake,'" De Ligt said after the 2-1 loss, in which Madrid's stoppage-time winner by Joselu came after a VAR intervention that overturned an initial offside call. On that occasion, though, the other linesman allowed the play to continue.

"The rule says that, if it's not clear offside, you have to keep playing." De Ligt said. "And if you go in the last minute and you whistle like this, I think this is a big mistake. If it's offside or not, I don't know, VAR can check it, but if you don't check it, how can you see it? This is a shame."

VAR also came into play in the 71st to disallow a Madrid goal because of a foul by defender Nacho Fernandez on Joshua Kimmich. Joselu had equalized in the 88th after a blunder by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The victory sent Madrid into a final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1 in London.

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his defenders stopped after the whistle was blown before the De Ligt goal.

"The last play is clear, the referee blows the whistle and we stop," he said. "This referee is very good, he refereed in a World Cup final. They complain about this, and we complain about the goal by Nacho that was disallowed. Kimmich threw himself to the ground."

The match referee was Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France in Qatar.

Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said it was a "disastrous decision from the linesman and from the referee."

An animated Tuchel ran down the sideline after the decision. After the match, he told broadcaster DAZN the decision was "a disaster, an absolute disaster".

"We have to let the action play out until the end. That's the rule, especially since it's so close to the goal, and it's so limited.

"The first error is made by the linesman, the second comes from the referee," Tuchel said.

The 50-year-old coach told broadcaster TNT the decision "felt like a betrayal".

Speaking at the press conference, Tuchel said the referee apologized, but added: "It doesn't help to say sorry.

"Everyone has to go to their limit, everyone has to suffer, everyone has to play without making mistakes. So the referee has to be at that level too.

"It just doesn't help to make excuses after the fact.

"You are on the field for this reason, because you are the best there is. And we have the right to expect that until the end."

A disappointed Bayern captain Neuer said: "We're in the Champions League semifinals. I think he knows it was a mistake, and that you shouldn't make a decision like that so quickly."

"It's extremely bitter for me," the 38-year-old Neuer said to DAZN.

On the subject of the first Real goal, the Bayern stopper said: "I expected the ball to land a bit differently to my chest, but it went a bit higher and it was difficult to get a hold of. And then, Joselu was there quicker and it was difficult to defend.

"For a goalkeeper who's been around for a while, it's something I've already experienced, but the goal was brutal."

Tuchel said his captain's mistake was uncharacteristic.

"'Manuel did incredibly well, but then made a mistake he wouldn't have made for 100 years," said Tuchel

"It's frustrating. If there's anyone who didn't deserve that, it's Manuel. We know who he is, what he's achieved."

Neuer, who returned this season after almost a year out with a broken leg, had begun to hit top form.

The 2014 World Cup winner is odds-on favorite to be between the sticks for Germany when it kicks off its home Euros on June 14 in Munich against Scotland.

Wednesday's loss means Neuer and Bayern will finish the season without a trophy for the first time since 2012.

Agencies