The Champions League semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich ended on a strange note. After 2-2 in Germany, the guests were leading 1-0 until the 88th minute of the match in the Spanish capital, so that the reserve Joselu turned the score around with two goals, and the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak in the 13th minute of stoppage time preserved the advantage for Real Madrid and passage to the final.The players and coaching staff of the Bavarians reacted lively, to say the least, after the Pole ruled offside during a play in front of the Madrid goal, from which Matthijs de Ligt sent the ball behind Lunin’s back. They felt that he should not have stopped the play, which has become a rarity in the era of video technology, and that he should have reconsidered his decision after watching the video. However, after a short consultation with his colleagues in the VAR room, Marciniak stood with the decision that it was offside and awarded the ball to Real Madrid, after which it was clear who would go to the final on June 1 at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund.Carlo’s answer to Bayern: Are they complaining about offside? OK, then we’re complaining about Nacho’s goalAs expected, statements from the Bayern Munich camp after the game were directed mainly at the referee.”Disaster! Absolute disaster. With Real Madrid’s second goal, the referees let the action continue. Such are the rules, the game must continue. For our goal, the first mistake was made by the assistant referee, and then by the head referee. It is clear that it is a violation of the rules of the game,” Thomas Tuchel was angry in his first statement after the match.Matthijs De Ligt claims that Marciniak’s assistant apologized to him, which adds to the importance of the whole tension that arose.”This is a shame. The assistant referee apologized to me after the game and said he made a mistake, but I get nothing out of it. I’m not a person who will blame the referee for the loss, but the rules are the rules, and according to the rule, the play should have continued. A huge mistake is made and it’s a shame,” said the Dutchman.A furious Thomas Tuchel asked if he accepts the referee’s apology: “Very difficult. This is a semifinal, it’s not the moment for apologies. Really not. It’s not the moment for two huge violations of rules and then an apology. We all have to go to our limits, all have to suffer,… pic.twitter.com/c50SEhaINR— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 8, 2024 Thomas Tuchel and Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl also said the same.”We were very close to our goal, but we had an uncharacteristic error from our best player at the equalizer (Neuer), and then we conceded a goal from a contested situation, so a catastrophic error disallowed our second goal. It makes us feel like we were betrayed, but we have to to congratulate the rival on the victory. The referee apologized to us after the game, however, it does not help us. Making such a decision is very bad and against the rules, but it is what it is…”, the Bayern coach was depressed.Max Eberl said that Marciniak sent him the apology.”We all wanted a German final, except for the Polish referee. He admitted his mistake and apologized to us, but what can we do with it – nothing,” said the Bavarian director.##NAJAVA_MECA_8088235##Before the disputed referee’s decision, Manuel Neuer’s mistake cost the Bavarians. The brilliant goalkeeper looked confident for most of the game, but in the 88th minute he dropped the ball after a shot from Vinicius and allowed Joselu to score to equalize and put the wind at Real Madrid’s back.”Anyone who has ever played football knows how I feel at the moment. To be knocked out of the competition and to be so close to the final leaves a very bitter taste. We had one foot at Wembley, we saw ourselves there before, but we didn’t make it. I’m speechless”, the experienced goalkeeper said with teary eyes.
