In a highly dramatic and controversial end to the Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Thomas Tuchel couldn’t hide his disappointment after a late goal was ruled out for offside. The Bayern manager was visibly frustrated following his side’s narrow and late loss at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, a result that was significantly influenced by an officiating error.
In extra time, Matthijs de Ligt appeared to have equalized for Bayern in the 103rd minute, but the goal was disallowed after the linesman flagged for offside. This decision stopped play, preventing VAR from intervening, which meant the goal could not stand despite replay footage suggesting that De Ligt’s run was likely onside. Tuchel, speaking to TNT Sports, criticized the officiating, saying, “There was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee… It feels like a betrayal in the end.”
De Ligt later revealed that the linesman, Szymon Marciniak from Poland, had apologized for his error after the game. In an interview with beIN Sports, De Ligt stated, “The linesman said to me ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake.’ I can’t buy anything with that. I’m not the type of person who wants to blame a loss or win on the referee, but it means you have to win because you win 2-1.”
Tuchel echoed these sentiments, criticizing the linesman for raising his flag too hastily, which led to the referee blowing the whistle, invalidating what could have been a legitimate goal. He noted that in situations of doubt, linesmen are advised to keep their flags down to allow VAR to review potential offside decisions. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, commenting on the match, agreed that the linesman was too quick to raise his flag, suggesting it was an error in judgment that ultimately affected the outcome.
Tuchel’s criticism centered on the fact that raising the flag in such a critical moment required a high degree of certainty, which was clearly not the case. He concluded by stating that the linesman’s apology does not rectify the impact of his mistake on the game and that this call cost Bayern a chance at advancing further in the competition.
The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing human error with technology in football. UEFA had previously instructed assistant referees not to raise their flags prematurely when VAR is in place, emphasizing the importance of allowing technology to play its role in confirming or overturning crucial decisions. Despite this, the offside controversy in this semifinal underscores that more work is needed to ensure fair outcomes in high-stakes matches.
