At the end of Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final triumph over Bayern Munich, the Bavarians expressed outrage due to a controversial incident that could have prevented them from pushing the game to extra-time. The incident in question has sparked debate across the footballing world, with Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos adding his voice to the discussion on the latest episode of his podcast, Einfach mal Luppen, which he co-hosts with his brother Felix.
With virtually the last kick of the game, Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt appeared to have scored. However, his jubilation was short-lived as the referee, Szymon Marciniak, had already blown the whistle for offside, following the assistant referee’s signal.
Reflecting on the moment, Kroos expressed his views on the decision, labeling it as a “bad decision” during the podcast. He emphasized the importance of allowing the game to continue until the conclusion of the play, rather than prematurely halting it due to an offside call.
“It was a bad decision,” Kroos stated. “We have to let the game continue and let the players play until the end. I think the mistake is mainly the assistant’s because if he raises the flag, the referee understands that he has seen it clearly and trusts that there was probably an offside of three meters. Bayern’s anger is justified because we have to play it until the end of the play. 100%.”
Kroos also acknowledged that while it was imperative to play on, it did not guarantee that Bayern would have scored from the opportunity.
“I don’t know if there was a collective stoppage because you could hear the whistle well before the shot,” he explained. “It was noticeable that the tension decreased among all those who wanted to defend the play.”