The manager of Chelsea football club, Thomas Tuchel was not happy that the referee who officiated their exit from the Champions League on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, was seen laughing with the manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti after the clash.
On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, Chelsea faced Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu to overturn the 3-1 defeat they suffered in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final round at the hands of the Spanish giants on April 6.
Though most football pundits thought it would be impossible for Chelsea to overturn the result in the second leg of the round, Chelsea came so close to doing so, only to blow away their chances in the last 15 minutes of the game.
The game ended 3-2 in favor of Chelsea but Real Madrid knocked out the reigning UEFA Champions League winners 4-5 on aggregate.
Goals from Mason Mount, Rudiger, and Timo Werner put Chelsea in the driver’s seat for most of the game until Carlo Ancelotti introduced Rodrygo that scored Real Madrid’s opener in the last quarter of the regular time.
Rodrygo pushed the game into extra time before Karim Benzema killed the game for Chelsea with a beautiful header making it four goals against Chelsea in the tie.
One of the biggest talking points in the game was Marcos Alonso’s goal in the second half of the game which would have sealed the victory for Chelsea. After allowing the goal, referee Szymon Marciniak changed his mind after the Video Assistant Referee spotted that Alonso handed the ball before he scored.
After the game, coach Thomas Tuchel argued that referee Marciniak ought to have checked the pitchside monitor before he canceled Alonso’s goal.
The German tactician went as far as noting that he caught the referee laughing with coach Carlo Ancelotti after the game.
“I was disappointed that the referee had a good time with Carlo,” coach Tuchel Thomas said. “When I wanted to go and say thank you, he was smiling and laughing with the opponent’s coach.
“[It’s] not only today. When you play against Real Madrid, maybe you don’t expect everyone has the courage. I felt the little decisions in the first leg and today as well.
“I didn’t see the goal but I am super disappointed he didn’t come out and check it on its own. You should stay the boss and not give the decisions to someone in a chair who is isolated.”
🗣 “It’s disappointing that the referee had a good time with my colleague Carlo Ancelotti.”
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 13, 2022
Thomas Tuchel says Szymon Marciniak chose the wrong time to laugh and joke with the Real Madrid manager at the end of extra time. 😡 pic.twitter.com/q1XctnAW6g
Now that Real Madrid have ended the journey of Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League campaign this season, the Spanish giants will face either Atletico Madrid or Manchester City in the semi-final stage of the competition.
The first leg of the semi-final round has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 20:00. While the second leg will take place on May 4, 2022, at 20:00.
Coach Thomas Tuchel is happy with the performance of his players
Despite missing the opportunity of playing in the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League this season, coach Thomas Tuchel believes that his players gave a good account of themselves.
According to him, Chelsea had nothing to regret despite noting that he and his team deserved to go beyond the quarter-final stage of the competition.
“These are the kind of defeats we can digest and swallow,” he added. “We left nothing to regret out there. We played what we wanted to play, with the quality and the character this team has. We deserved to go through, we were simply unlucky and it wasn’t to be.
“The most important thing is how we play and the input from the players. The full credit is for the players, you need to score and win and do it over the 90 mins. We were unlucky not to go through.”
"We are very disappointed and very proud at the same time"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 12, 2022
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel reflects on his side's heartbreaking Champions League defeat to Real Madrid 👇 pic.twitter.com/qUpJ2x4mK0
