Skip to content
the local report

SPORTS

Bayern Munich was on the cusp of an all-German UCL final, then Real Madrid happened. football news

By | Published | No Comments

Two late goals and 14-time European champions Real Madrid made dramatic progress to secure their place in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24 final. But, by the 88th minute of the game, the football world was preparing for an all-German title clash in Europe’s most elite club football competition. Bayern Munich had one foot in the final, having led on the scoreboard until the 88th minute, when former Stoke City, Newcastle United and Espanyol striker Joselu stepped up to pull his team level, following a mistake from Manuel Neuer. Thanks to him, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. A few minutes later, Real Madrid struck again through Joselu, making the score 2–1, turning the semi-final tie on its head, as they have repeatedly. A repeat of the 2013 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund was planned, but Real Madrid fell within minutes.

Gone are the days when Sergio Ramos would go on in injury time to score the winner for Real Madrid in the Champions League. Los Blancos also do not have the services of the charismatic Cristiano Ronaldo to produce the spectacular moments that led them to 14 Champions League titles, 7 more than second-placed AC Milan and 8 more than their opponents that day, Bayern. Munich.

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 youth player Joselu scoring twice in a matter of minutes to seal a place among the champions. League final for his team. “Real Madrid beats Real Madrid” was to be the newspaper headline the next day. But, there was one last twist left in the script. well almost.

Just a minute before the full-time whistle, Bayern Munich found themselves in a promising position, with Thomas Muller, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt finding the last of Real Madrid goalkeeper Andrey Lunin. The equaliser, but to everyone’s surprise, the linesman raised an offside flag, causing referee Szymon Marciniak to blow his whistle just before De Ligt tested Lunin with his shot.

What do the rules say?

The Bayern defender proceeded with his plan and fired into the back of the net, but the goal did not count because the referee had blown the whistle. But, was it in accordance with the rules? well not really.

According to the latest instructions given to match officials, assistants have been told to lower the flag close to offside, and only raise it when a goal is scored or at the end of an attacking move. But this did not happen in the game. Bayern’s players had a right to be angry, and even their head coach Thomas Tuchel became angry as he explained the same thing to the match officials. but to no avail.

In this specific case VAR could not be used because the referee’s whistle had blown, leading some to suggest that Real Madrid players stopped competing upon hearing that whistle. But, footage after the game showed that Bayern right-back Mazraoui was a little behind in the action.

Had the game continued, Bayern could have scored a legitimate goal and tied the score at 1–1. But, the referee’s mistake took away their chance to do so.

After the game, De Ligt revealed that the linesman apologized to him for the decision, admitting his mistake. But, not much could be done. Several Bayern stars as well as their manager fumed after the match and described how the German giants were once again robbed of a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

Thomas Muller:“The referee’s decision was strange. This happens often in Madrid, and it has happened to me before with 2 offside goals by Ronaldo. No one can explain it.”

“I don’t want to say that Real Madrid always have referees but today it made a difference.”

Matthijs de Ligt:“In fact, just when you think they’re dead, take their last breath… That’s why they have 14 Champions Leagues. The linesman said to me: Sorry, I made a mistake. It’s a shame. “

“It was a disaster. An absolute disaster and it’s a clear breach of the rules.”

Thomas Tuchel:“The clear rule is that the scene must continue. The first fault was made by the linesman, the second by the referee.”

“It would not have happened from Real Madrid.”

Max Eberl, Bavaria Director:“We were all Germans for the final. Everyone except the Polish referee!”

This is not the first time that Bayern Munich has faced some controversial decisions in a Champions League match against Real Madrid.

In 2017, several controversial decisions by referee Victor Butcher ‘robbed’ the German team of their chance to make 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’ favour, angering the Bundesliga giants.

In an interview, former Real Madrid defender Marcelo admitted that the referee failed to give a handball offense against his team in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern. This decision ultimately resulted in Bayern’s elimination in 2018.

This was not the first time that Bayern Munich had to fight an ‘unequal battle’ against Real Madrid, it may not be the last either.

It all could have been an all-German UEFA Champions League final, with Borussia Dortmund having already won, but, ‘Real Madrid happened’.

Topics mentioned in this article

Denial of responsibility! Thelocalreport.in is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us.The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Reference Url

Pooja Sood, a dynamic blog writer and tech enthusiast, is a trailblazer in the world of Computer Science. Armed with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Pooja's journey seamlessly fuses technical expertise with a passion for creative expression.With a solid foundation in B.Tech, Pooja delves into the intricacies of coding, algorithms, and emerging technologies. Her blogs are a testament to her ability to unravel complex concepts, making them accessible to a diverse audience. Pooja's writing is characterized by a perfect blend of precision and creativity, offering readers a captivating insight into the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Latest posts