Chelsea coach Tuchel attacks referee Marciniak after the CL defeat against Real Madrid
Thomas Tuchel Chelsea
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After the Champions League exit at Real Madrid, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel took on the referee. Too good relationship with Carlo Ancelotti?
Thomas Tuchel sharply criticized the match referee Szymon Marciniak and his video assistant Tomasz Kwiatkowski after Chelsea were eliminated in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
“I was disappointed that the referee apparently had a good time with my colleague Carlo Ancelotti,” said the 48-year-old after the game: “I know Carlo is a nice guy, but when I wanted to say thank you for the match , I saw the referee grinning and laughing out loud with the opposing coach.”
The Chelsea coach felt this was the “worst time ever” and he said so to Marciniak. “After 126 minutes in which a team gave their hearts,” that was the reason for him to speak to the referee.
In addition, the German was annoyed by the short stoppage time and the behavior when Marcos Alonso’s goal was withdrawn to make it 3-0. “When you play against Real, you can’t expect everyone to have the guts. I felt small decisions were made against us, in the first leg and today,” he said of the refereeing performance.
Tuchel: Referee should “remain the boss”
Tuchel would have liked the referee to look at the situation surrounding Alonso’s goal, which was preceded by an unintentional handball, on the screen. “In a game like this you should have a certain line and stay the boss,” explained the ex-Dortmunder: “You shouldn’t leave the decisions to someone on a chair who is completely isolated from the atmosphere and the referee’s line.”
Chelsea went into extra time after going 3-1 in the first leg, but were eliminated there after a 3-2 win. Karim Benzema scored the decisive goal in the 96th minute. Despite this, Tuchel was satisfied with his team’s performance, apart from a few minor things: “These are the kind of defeats that you can proudly accept as an athlete,” he said.