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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was unhappy with referee Szymon Marciniak for his behavior after the game. The Polish match official, who oversaw their match against Real Madrid on Tuesday, was seen laughing with Carlo Ancelotti at full-time.
Los Blancos lost the match 3-2 but knocked out the holders by winning the tie 5-4 on aggregate, thanks to a late comeback. Chelsea led 3-0 by the 75th minute to complete a turnaround but goals from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema threw a spanner in their works.
Before Timo Werner's goal, Chelsea's third of the night, Marcos Alonso saw a goal chalked off for a handball in the build-up. Replays showed there was contact, but Tuchel was furious with Marciniak for not consulting the pitchside monitor.
He later told BT Sport:
"I didn’t see the goal that was disallowed. I’m very, very disappointed for the referee that he does not check it by himself.
"Absolutely disappointed feeling in both matches that it was 51 on the other side with all decisions made but that’s what it is if you play Real Madrid in the Champions League. Unlucky today."
But after the match, Tuchel also criticized the referee for his conduct as he was seen sharing a laugh with the Real Madrid coach.
He added:
"I was disappointed that the referee had a good time with my colleague, Carlo Ancelotti. I know Carlo is a gentleman and a nice guy, but when I wanted to go and say thank you for the match, I saw him smiling and laughing loudly with the opponents’ coach.
"I think this is the very, very wrong time to do this after a final whistle and 126 minutes where one team gave all their hearts and fought until the last drop. You go and see the referee smiling and laughing with the other coach. I think it is very, very bad timing. I told him this, and that’s it."
Chelsea next face Crystal Palace at home in the FA Cup.
Chelsea can be proud of their performance
On any other day, such a performance would have been enough to advance, and Chelsea must be proud of their heroic display at the Bernabeu.
The Blues have bounced back from consecutive defeats with two huge performances in their last two games. It holds them in good stead ahead of a tough home stretch and Tuchel will expect more results like this until the end of their season.
