Explaining De Ligt’s controversial non-goal as Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich ends in ‘a betrayal’

Once again the Champions League did not disappoint as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played out a thrilling semi-final over two legs.

But the ending to their 180-minute slugfest was highly controversial, with Bayern potentially denying what would have been a late equalizer at the Bernabeu to send the second leg to extra-time.

Bayern defender Matthijs De Ligt thought he had scored the crucial goal, only to discover that referee Szymon Marciniak had blown his whistle after his assistant Tomasz Listkiewicz had flagged for an offside. At that stage — in the 13th minute of added time — Madrid were 2-1 up on the night and ahead 4-3 on aggregate following last week’s 2-2 draw in Munich.

De Ligt and Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel said in separate post-match interviews that Listkiewicz had apologized for the incident. Tuchel said it was a “disastrous” decision which “feels almost like a betrayal”.

here The Athletic breaks down the controversial end to the match.

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What happened?

The ball is played up towards Bayern’s Nouassir Mazraoui and De Ligt as the German side chase a late equalizer in the 13th minute of added time.

Listkiewicz then flags for an offside as Mazraoui and De Ligt challenge for the ball against Madrid’s Ferland Mendy.

Replays show the decision was very close.

After Marciniak blows the whistle, Thomas Muller latches on to the loose ball, heads it towards De Ligt who turns and volleys it into the net.

Madrid’s players looked to have stopped playing after hearing the whistle, but Bayern players and staff were furious, berating the officials before play resumed.

Bayern had taken the lead in the 68th minute of the game after Alphonso Davies — who came on in the first half for the injured Serge Gnabry — collected a long ball from Harry Kane, cut inside and whipped a shot on his weaker right foot past Andriy Lunin.

It was another substitute who made the difference for Madrid, with Joselu equalizing in the 88th minute and then scoring the winner in the 91st.

Why was play stopped?

The simple answer is because the assistant referee, Listkiewicz, believed there to be an offside.

However, since Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced in 2016, offsides have been routinely checked after the fact.

It has become common for assistants to refrain from signaling for an offside, even if it appears obvious in real time, if play is likely to lead to a goal. If one is then scored or the play dies out, often the assistant will then raise their flag to signal an offside.

The VAR then checks the offside and either confirms the assistant’s decision or reverses it. The VAR also checks for any offsides after every goal, so if an offside is missed by the assistant, a goal can still be ruled out after the fact.

The Champions League also uses semi-automated offside technology, which uses video cameras to monitor around 30 joints on each player’s body.

But, as the whistle had already been blown, the play was dead before De Ligt ‘scored’, the decision could not be reviewed by the VAR.

UEFA has not responded to it The Athletic‘s request for comment on the incident.

What was the reaction?

Bayern players and staff were furious after the decision was made. Tuchel was seen arguing with Listkiewicz while Muller exchanged heated words with Marciniak.

“Almost there,” Tuchel told TNT Sports after the game. “Very unusual mistake of the very best player (Manuel Neuer) for the equalizer. Then we conceded in a very narrow decision in stoppage time.

“Then we scored one. A disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels almost like a betrayal in the end because of that decision. It was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch and we were almost there. Now we have to say congratulations to Real Madrid.

“The linesman said, ‘Sorry’ but that doesn’t help. At this level, to raise the flag in a close position like this in the last minute. The referee as well, he does not have to whistle. He sees that we have the second ball, he sees that we get the shot away.

“To whistle is a very, very bad decision. It’s against the rules. It’s a bad decision from both of them and it’s a disaster. It’s tough to swallow but there it is.”

Speaking to beIN Sports, De Ligt added: “The linesman said to me, ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake’. In the end, I’m not the type of person to blame a loss on a referee. But if it’s a rule it’s a rule.”

So, what are the rules?

As UEFA explained in January 2023 following a course for European assistant referees in Rome: “When the VAR system is in place for a match, assistant referees are being advised not to raise the flag if in doubt about a potential offside situation.”

UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti added: “We need the assistant referees to show their traditional abilities from the past. Accuracy, precision in offside evaluation. But timing is now an essential element of the job – they must know when to raise the flag.

“If they raise the flag at the wrong moment, problems can arise as far as the final decision is concerned. We’ve worked hard on the ‘flag delay’ concept at the course.”

What next?

The win means Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in next month’s final at Wembley Stadium, after the German side beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg to secure a 2-0 aggregate victory.

That game comes on Saturday, June 1 with kick-off at 8pm BST (3pm ET/12pm PT).

(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)