Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel says the decision from officials to stop play before his side scored an injury-time equaliser against Real Madrid “feels like a betrayal”.
The Bavarians crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday night, after losing 2-1 in the second leg and conceded the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
The visitors could have secured a late equaliser through Matthijs de Ligt but the assistant referee’s flag was already raised for offside when the Dutchman struck home from the inside of the box.
Television replays showed the original decision may not have been offside and would have needed to be checked by video assistant referee [VAR].
However, VAR was unable to intervene and award the goal, as play had already stopped.
Tuchel told TNT Sports after the match: “There was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee [Poland’s Szymon Marciniak].
“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.
“The linesman says sorry but that does not help. To raise the flag in a moment like this… The referee sees we get the second ball and we get the shot – it’s a very, very bad decision. It’s against the rules. It’s a disaster. It’s hard to swallow but that’s the way it is.”
Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London, England on 1 June.
Soccer 24 Zimbabwe