De Ligt claims the linesman apologised to him || Imago
According to Matthijs De Ligt, the linesman apologised to him for "making a mistake" during Bayern Munich's loss to Real Madrid.
Following a 2-1 setback on Wednesday night, the German powerhouses were defeated 4-3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final.
De Ligt, though, felt he had grabbed a thrilling late equaliser, but it was controversially ruled out for offside.
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De Ligt on controversial call
Addressing the situation, De Ligt also disclosed that he received an apology from the assistant referee.
In an interview with beINSPORTS, as reported by the Sun, De Ligt said, "This is a shame. The linesman said to me 'I'm sorry I made a mistake'.
"It's a big, big mistake!"@mdeligt_04 was very frustrated with that late-offside decision. @adriandelmonte with the questions. #beINUCL #UCL #RealMadridBayern pic.twitter.com/3g6FjZaZYf
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) May 8, 2024
"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."
In the twelfth minute of added time, a long ball into the Real Madrid penalty area was nodded down to the defender.
But not before the linesman's flag was raised and the whistle blown as he played the ball into the net.
Fans had noticed some wrong decisions in the first half, thus it had turned out to be an eventful night for the referees in the second leg.
On June 1 at Wembley Stadium, Los Blancos will now face Borussia Dortmund in the championship game.