Champions League Controversy: How Offside Calls Work After Real Madrid, Bayern Munich Semi

• Thomas Tuchel was left ruing the late offside decision that could have helped Bayern Munich
• They were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid in astonishing fashion
• Sports Brief looks at an offside clause that has dictated how such close calls should be made

To say that Thomas Tuchel was beyond livid with the controversial offside decision during the second leg of Bayern Munich's game against Real Madrid on May 8 would be an understatement.

"It was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It was a huge call, which was the wrong call. It is against every rule. That would not have happened on the other side. It feels like a betrayal."

The Bavarian giants thought they had scored what would have forced the already dramatic tie to extra time, but the linesman's flag and referee's whistle brought those hopes to a grinding halt.

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For context, the German side were on the cusp of knocking out the record champions after a sublime Alphonso Davies gaol in the 68th minute. However, former Stoke City player, Joselu, came off the bench to score twice in quick succession - the first from a Manuel Neuer mistake - to send Carlo Ancelotti's side through to Wembley.

Deep into stoppage time, Matthijs de Ligt found the back of the net, but the goal couldn't stand or even be referred to the Video Assistant Referee because referee, Szymon Marciniak, had blown the whistle before the Dutch defender had even touched the ball. Fury then followed from Bayern players and those in the team's technical area.

How offside calls are supposed to work

The German contingent wanted to understand why the referee did not allow that phase of play to end before raising the flag, as it has become the norm. In new rules introduced in the 2021/2022 season, it was agreed that the linesman will intentionally delay raising his flag if he thinks it's an offside.

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"When an immediate goalscoring opportunity is likely to occur, the assistant referee will keep their flag down if they think there is an offside until the passage of play is completed. Once a goal is scored or the chance is gone, the assistant will raise the flag to indicate the initial offence," the Premier League website explains.

The decision will then be referred to the VAR for a final decision to be made.

In this situation, when Thomas Muller headed down the ball for De Ligt, the linesman was supposed to see how things panned out before raising his flag. Once Marciniak saw the flag, he blew the whistle and Real Madrid players stopped playing even as the ball struck the back of the net.

The decision couldn't be referred to the VAR because the whistle had already gone, rendering everything as De Ligt played the ball 'inadmissible'.

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There is no telling whether the referee's offside decision was correct, but Bayern deserved the benefit of the doubt. The linesman, as confirmed by Tuchel and De Ligt, did apologise for his mistake, but it was a tad too late.

Thierry Henry, who was on pundit duties for CBS, took issue with the centre referee and summarised it perfectly.

"My view isn't with the linesman. My issue is with the referee. He is the chief. Why do you blow your whistle when you have something [the VAR] that can tell you whether it is offside or not?"

Carlo Ancelotti responds to Bayern complaints

Sports Brief has also reported that Carlo Ancelotti fired back at Thomas Tuchel over the controversial offside decision.

The veteran Italian manager masterminded another Champions League comeback, but the tie ended in contentious fashion.

He picked out Real Madrid's goal, which was disallowed for a Nacho Fernandez foul on Joshua Kimmich, as an example.