"This wouldn't have happened on Real Madrid's side" - Thomas Tuchel slams disastrous refereeing decision against Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel was unhappy with the refereeing in his team's 2-1 loss against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, May 8. The Bavarian giants were resultantly eliminated from the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League 4-3 on aggregate.
Tuchel's ire was particularly directed towards the linesman and the referee for ruling out Matthijs de Ligt's late goal on account of an offside. Speaking to the press after the game, an angry Tuchel said (via a tweet on X by Imiasanmia courtesy of DAZN):
"A disaster. An absolute disaster. With Real's second goal, they let the play continue. The clear rule is that the scene must continue. The first mistake was made by the linesman, the second by the referee. It was a clear violation of the rules."
He added (via a second tweet on X by Imiasanmia):
"This would not have happened on the other side (Real Madrid)."
Alphonso Davies had put the visitors 1-0 up on the night with a brilliant strike from his weaker foot (68'). Real Madrid substitute Joselu restored parity for the hosts after Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer fumbled a save from Vinicius Jr. (88').
Joselu then went on to tap-in the winner from a low-driven cross by Antonio Rudiger. Los Blancos will face Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley on June 1.
What was the controversy regarding the offside call in the game between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich?
Chasing the game 2-1 down, Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt's late goal was ruled offside by the linesman and then called the same by the onfield referee. Follow-up camera angles later showed that the call was a rather tight decision bordering on being potentially incorrect.
Moreover, the rules with the introduction of VAR state that (via FIFA) referees are encouraged not to make tight offside calls and instead let the play continue if it involves potential goal-mouth action, which was the case in point here. Once the series of play is completed, the VAR then uses the technology to check for the potential offside, thereby providing a much more satisfying and accurate outcome.
However, Real Madrid seemingly received a lucky break here on that front as the referee blew the whistle on-field, thereby nullifying De Ligt's goal and making VAR's take on the matter redundant. Tuchel's anger was further prompted by the fact that Real Madrid's winner on the night also seemingly came from an offside situation, where the referee allowed the game to carry on.
It was only after Joselu scored the winner, that the linesman raised his flag and the referee blew his whistle. That allowed VAR to interfere and use technology to accurately draw a conclusion on the call, thereby overturning the on-field offside call to award a goal to Los Blancos. Bayern Munich were not given the same benefit on the night, which led to Tuchel's frustration and the Bavarians exit from the UEFA Champions League.