"I experienced this a few years ago with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo" - Thomas Muller accuses referees of favoring Real Madrid
Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller has accused referee Szymon Marciniak of influencing the tie against Real Madrid following his side's 2-1 semi-final defeat. The German giants surrendered a one-goal lead to lose after conceding twice in three minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Following an interesting 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena last week, the tie between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich was finely poised heading into the second leg. Muller himself had opined that the game would be one of millimeters, indicating that he expected it to be a close battle.
The veteran forward was not wrong, as two huge moments in the game were determined by the closest of margins. The first of those moments brought about the second Los Blancos goal, but the second one was the source of Muller's frustration.
During his press duties following the game, the 34-year-old said that the referees favored the Spanish side, as they did in 2017.
"Marciniak? He did not watch the video. He did not give himself the opportunity to look at it."
"It's really strange, in such a situation, to whistle so fast. This often happens here in Madrid."
"I experienced this a few years ago, with two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was before the VAR."
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals from offside positions in the 2016-17 quarterfinals to eliminate the then-German champions from the competition. As this was before the advent of the VAR, the goals were allowed to stand.
In the game last night, Bayern Munich had the ball in the net in the 103rd minute, but a contentious early offside flag robbed them of the goal. This was the cause of Thomas Muller's frustration as Matthijs de Ligt thought he had got his team a late equaliser.
Carlo Ancelotti makes history as Real Madrid overcome Bayern Munich
In leading Real Madrid to their 18th UEFA Champions League final, Carlo Ancelotti made a bit of history for himself in the competition. The Italian manager surpassed the record previously held by Sir Alex Ferguson for the most games by a manager in the competition.
The former Chelsea, AC Milan and PSG manager saw late goals from substitute striker Joselu cancel out Alphonso Davies' wonder-strike in his 203rd game in the competition. It made him the manager with the most games in the competition outright, further adding to his legacy.
'Don Carlo,' as he is fondly known, also became the first manager to reach six UEFA Champions League finals in the competition's history. He will be aiming for a fifth win in the competition, as well as a 15th title for Real Madrid.