Comments laid out by Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt have turned heads across all of Europe late on Wednesday night.
As much comes after the Dutchman revealed that he was issued an apology by a member of the officiating team in charge of Bayern’s showdown with Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel’s troops, of course, are fresh off a heartbreaking night on the continent.
After making the trip to Spain for a Champions League semi-final 2nd-leg showdown with Real Madrid, Bayern saw a 2nd-half advantage evaporate in a matter of minutes late on, Joselu proving himself an altogether unexpected hero for Carlo Ancelotti’s hosts.
And yet, deep into injury time, a number of Bayern Munich’s stars thought that their side had bagged an equaliser.
As much came upon the ball dropping to Matthijs de Ligt inside the penalty area, with the Dutchman having made no mistake in lashing home a superb finish.
This, however, came after the referee’s whistle had already blown for offside.
One of the linesmen at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to break protocol, in raising his flag whilst the passage of play was still developing.
Ensuing replays showcased the fact that the call was an extremely tight one, meaning the play should have been allowed to finish out, before being sent to VAR to clear up any uncertainty surrounding a potential infringement.
The visitors’ players and staff alike were left incensed by the decision, culminating in a series of heated exchanges on the touchline.
And one such player to have been in the thick of things has since revealed that the official involved in the decision actually admitted that he had made a mistake in raising his flag prematurely.
Speaking to the media on the back of the full-time whistle in Madrid, Matthijs de Ligt confirmed:
“The linesman told me sorry… I made a mistake.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
