MATTHIJS DE LIGT DETAILS WHAT LINESMAN SAID TO HIM AFTER OFFSIDE FLAG DENIED BAYERN GOAL

Matthijs de Ligt admitted the linesman told him he was sorry for his mistake in disallowing a stoppage time Bayern Munich goal.

The Dutchman scored late on with his strike set to force extra-time, only for the offside flag to deny him. The Germans surged forward after two quick Real Madrid goals had turned the tie on its head, but De Ligt saw the offside flag go up moments before his smart finish.

The referee whistled and that ruled out the chance for VAR to intervene with replays showing the two Bayern players in question appeared to be onside. It led to mass protests on the pitch and the touchline with De Light adamant the rules should be abided by.

He told beIN Sports: "If it's offside, it's offside. But I think we made rules in football and the rules are if's not a clear offside - which it wasn't because I don't see it yet if it's offside or not - you have to keep playing.

"If you go in the last minutes and you whistle like this, I think it's a big mistake. If it's offside or not you can check it, but if you don't check it, how can you see it? The second goal Rudiger is almost offside. If he whistles ok, but now there's a difference and this is a shame.

"The linesman said to me I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I can't buy anything for 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. I think if it's a rule, it's a rule."

It means the Germans' last hope of landing a trophy is over. Bayern have endured a difficult campaign and Thomas Tuchel is due to depart this summer. He too was left seething by the decision and also received an apology - albeit that didn't make it easier to stomach.

The ex-Chelsea boss said: “We scored one, and it’s a disastrous decision from the linesman and referee. It feels almost like a betrayal in the end because of that decision. The linesman said sorry - that does not help. To raise the flag in a decision like this, in a close decision in the last minute.

“And the referee as well, the referee does not have to whistle. He sees that we win the second ball. To whistle, it’s a very, very bad decision and it’s against the rules. It’s a bad decision from both of them, it’s a disaster. Tough to swallow.”

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2024-05-09T07:40:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd