Two late goals and 14-times European champions Real Madrid dramatically secured their place in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final. But by the 88th minute of the game, the football world was preparing to embrace an all-German title clash in Europe’s most elite club football competition. Bayern Munich played one game in the final, having led the score until the 88th minute, when Joselu, a former Stoke City, Newcastle United and Espanyol striker, came close to raise his team’s level, thanks to a mistake from Manuel Neuer, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. A few minutes later, Real Madrid scored again through Joselu, making it 2-1 and turning the semi-final game upside down, as they have done several times before. A repeat of the 2013 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund was on the cards, but within minutes Real Madrid took it.
Gone are the days when Sergio Ramos played in stoppage time and headed Real Madrid’s Champions League victory. Los Blancos don’t even have the services of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to rely on to produce those decisive moments that led them to 14 Champions League titles, 7 more than second-placed AC Milan and 8 more than their opponents of the day. Bayern Munchen.
Yet Real Madrid, arguably the most powerful football club in the world, found a way to pull a rabbit out of the hat, with their former youngster Joselu advancing twice in a matter of minutes, almost guaranteeing a place in the Champions League. League final for your team. “Real Madrid got a Real Madrid” would be the headline in the newspapers the next day. But, the script had a final twist in store. Well, almost.
Just a minute before the final whistle, Bayern Munich found themselves in a promising position, with Thomas Muller, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt trying to test Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin one last time in search of an equalizer, but to everyone’s surprise, the linesman raised the offside flag, causing referee Szymon Marciniak to blow the whistle just before De Ligt could test Lunin with his shot.
The moment that could have changed everything…
VAR was unable to review the offside against De Ligt after the referee had already blown the whistle pic.twitter.com/PyMp4Jg1j1
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
What do the rules say?
The Bayern defender continued with his plan and found the back of the net, but the goal did not count because the referee blew the whistle. But was this in accordance with the rules? Well, not really.
According to the latest instructions given to referees, assistants are instructed to keep the flag down at close offsides and only raise it when a goal is scored or at the end of the attacking movement. But that didn’t happen in the game. Bayern’s players had a right to be angry, and even their head coach, Thomas Tuchel, was furious behind the scenes, explaining the same to the referees. But without success.
VAR could not be used in this specific case because the referee’s whistle was blown, leading some to suggest that the Real Madrid players stopped competing when they heard the whistle. But footage later in the game suggested that Bayern right-back Mazraoui was marginally involved in that action.
Tuchel “This referee error would not have happened on Real Madrid’s side”
Muller: “I saw Cristiano Ronaldo score offside goals 7 years ago, but this time it happened in the presence of VAR”
De ligt: ”the referee told me, sorry, I made a mistake”
Horrible pic.twitter.com/GVEVzIlC51
– ACE (fan) (@FCB_ACEE) May 9, 2024
If the game had continued, Bayern could have scored a legitimate goal and tied it 1-1. But the refereeing error robbed them of the opportunity to do so.
After the game, De Ligt revealed that the linesman apologized for the decision, admitting his mistake. But, not much could be done. Several Bayern stars, as well as their coach, went on a post-match rant, explaining how the German giants were robbed in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, yet again.
Tomás Müller:“The referee’s decision was strange. This happens often in Madrid, and it happened to me before, with two offside goals from Ronaldo. Nobody can explain this.”
“I don’t want to say that Real Madrid always have the referees with them, but that made the difference today.”
Matthijs de Ligt:“Real, when you think they’re dead, take one last breath… that’s why they have 14 Champions Leagues. The linesman said to me: sorry, I made a mistake. It was a shame.”
“It was a disaster. An absolute disaster and a clear violation of the rules.”
Thomas Tuchel:“The clear rule is that the scene must continue. The first error was made by the line judge, the second by the referee.”
“That wouldn’t have happened on Real Madrid’s side.”
Max Eberl, Bayern director:“We all wanted a German final. Everyone except the Polish referees!”
It is not the first time that Bayern Munich have suffered some questionable decisions in a Champions League match against Real Madrid.
Furious, Thomas Tuchel asked if he accepts the referee’s apology: “Very difficult. This is a semi-final, not the time for apologies. Really not. It’s not the time for two major breaches of the rules and then an apology. We all have to go to our limits, we all have to suffer,… pic.twitter.com/c50SEhaINR
– Bayern and Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 8, 2024
In 2017, a series of controversial decisions by referee Viktor Kassai appeared to have “robbed” the German team of the opportunity to reach the semi-finals. The referee’s decision not to book Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro and send off Bayern’s Arturo Vidal worked well in Los Blancos’ favor, leaving the Bundesliga giants furious.
In an interview, former Real Madrid defender Marcelo admitted that the referee did not commit a handball offense against his team in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern. The decision ended up resulting in Bayern’s elimination in 2018.
It was not the first time that Bayern Munich had to fight an “unequal battle” against Real Madrid, it may not be the last.
It could have all been an all-German UEFA Champions League final, with Borussia Dortmund already through, but “Real Madrid happened”.
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This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
