Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti responded to complaints about Bayern Munich's disallowed equaliser in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final by accusing Joshua Kimmich of diving to get an earlier Madrid goal chalked off.
Ancelotti's team thought they'd equalised moments after going behind, after pinball in the Bayern box. However, captain Nacho was penalised for a push on Kimmich in the build-up.
It didn't end up mattering for Los Blancos, who completed a dramatic late turnaround when substitute Joselu scored twice in three minutes. There was still time for Bayern to put the ball in the back of the net, but the whistle had blown for offside before Matthijs de Ligt fired into Andriy Lunin's net.
De Ligt claimed the referee's assistant apologised to him after the disallowed goal. However, speaking after the game, Ancelotti turned his focus to the contentious incident at the other end.
“Bayern complained about the offside? Ok, so we complain about the cancelled goal of Nacho… because Kimmich dived," Ancelotti said.
“If they complain about that, then we can complain about our disallowed goal. Both players were pushing each other and it’s Nacho who gets penalised.”
His opposite number Tuchel brought up the late disallowed goal in his own post-match interview. However he also recognised the part played by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who spilled the ball at Joselu's feet for the Spanish side's equaliser.
Do you agree with Carlo Ancelotti? Have your say in the comments section
Image:
Getty Images)“We are almost through, it's almost there and there was a very unusual mistake from our best player for the equaliser then we conceded the second one in stoppage time," Tuchel told TNT Sports after his team's defeat.
“Then we scored one and there was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels like a betrayal in the end. There was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch and we were almost there. Now we say congratulations to Real Madrid.
“The linesman says sorry but that does not help. To raise the flag in a moment like this... The referee sees we get the second ball and we get the shot - it's a very, very bad decision. It's against the rules. It's a disaster. It's hard to swallow but that's the way it is.”
Real Madrid will go on to play Borussia Dortmund in the final after the German side won home and away against Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final. Tuchel, whose Bayern exit was confirmed earlier in the season, has two more Bundesliga games to go as he looks to make sure of second place behind runaway leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
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