MATTHIJS DE LIGT REVEALS WHAT ASSISTANT REFEREE TOLD HIM AFTER BEING DENIED LATE BAYERN MUNICH EQUALISER AGAINST REAL MADRID IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite a valiant effort, Bayern Munich succumbed to a 4-3 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid following a 2-1 loss in the second leg of the semi-final clash on Wednesday night. De Ligt found himself at the centre of a contentious moment when his apparent equalizing goal was ruled out deep inside stoppage time. After the assistant referee raised his flag on a tight offside call, the match referee, Szymon Marciniak, immediately blew the whistle to halt play.

Although Real Madrid players including goalkeeper Andriy Lunin stopped after the whistle was blown, De Ligt continued to play and even put the ball inside Madrid's net. Given that play was halted at the moment of the whistle, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) could not intervene, leaving the decision to stand.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Manager Thomas Tuchel expressed his frustration with the decision, labelling it a "disaster" and asserting that the assistant referee, along with the match referee, had contravened the rules. Whereas, De Ligt disclosed that the linesman had even apologized to him for the error.

WHAT DE LIGT SAID

Speaking to beINSPORTS, De Ligt remarked, "This is a shame. The linesman said to me 'I'm sorry I made a mistake.' In the end, I'm not the type of person who wants to blame the loss or win on the referee so Madrid deserves to win because they won 2-1. But I think, if it's a rule, it's a rule and that's the only thing I can say about it."

DID YOU KNOW?

Joselu's stoppage-time winner for Real Madrid was initially ruled out before being confirmed upon review. Whereas, VAR overturned Nacho's equaliser earlier in the game as it deemed that the defender had fouled Kimmich during the build-up to a corner.

WHAT NEXT?

De Ligt's disallowed goal denied Bayern the opportunity to push the tie into extra-time. Consequently, Real Madrid advanced to the final, where they will face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on June 1, setting the stage for an enthralling showdown between two European football powerhouses.