"Said to me, 'sorry I made a mistake'" - Bayern Munich star claims linesman apologized to him for his error in UCL SF against Real Madrid
Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt has claimed that the linesman apologized to him for an error during the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid. The game ended 2-1 in favor of the Spanish giants on Wednesday night (May 8).
Alphonso Davies gave Bayern the lead with a spectacular strike in the 68th minute. However, Joselu scored a late brace (88', 90+1') to seal a comeback win for the 15-time champions, who will now play Borussia Dortmund in the final.
After Joselu's second goal, Bayern put the ball in the back of the net but the goal was ruled out as De Ligt was adjudged offside.
The Dutch defender said after the match (via Fabrizio Romano on X):
"If it's offside, it's offside. But I think we made rules in football and the rules say if it isn't clear offside, which it wasn't, because I haven't seen it yet, of course I don't know. You have to keep playing. If you go in the last minute and you whistle like this, yeah, I think it's a big mistake..... This is a shame."
"The linesman said to me, 'I am sorry, I made a mistake.' In the end, you know, I am not the type of person to blame the rules or the referee," he added.
Watch De Ligt's comments:
Both sides had their moments during the match. While Bayern looked like they were going through, Real Madrid once again showcased their championship mettle to turn things around in their favor.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti explains the offside decision against Bayern Munich
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti shared his take on the offside saga during the UEFA Champions League second-leg clash against Bayern Munich.
Ancelotti said that his side played by the whistle and stopped playing when the referee blew. He said after the match (via Madrid Xtra on X):
"The offside episode is simple to explain. Maybe it wasn't offside, but the referee whistles and we stopped playing. This is it."
Los Blancos are now set to take on Dortmund in the final at Wembley. This is the first time in history the two clubs will play in the final of the competition.