He may work in the country that invented fair play, but Thomas Tuchel nevertheless has it bad. The Chelsea coach returned afterwards to the elimination of his team against Real Madrid. The Blues who led by three goals at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium before conceding two crippling goals, including a second from Karim Benzema in extra time. No regrets for the Chelsea coach, apart from a few reservations about the behavior of Szymon Marciniak, the Polish referee, and in particular about his “lack of courage” and his smiles shared with Carlo Ancelotti.
The former German PSG tactician first returned to a press conference on his players: “We had this match in our hands and we were unlucky, which is why we are disappointed. We were beaten on individual talent and on our own mistakes. We deserved to qualify. The slightest half-chance, they always convert it. We had two decisive ball losses, but that won’t score against many teams. No regrets, even if we deserved to pass. These are the kind of defeats you can be proud of and can accept in good spirits. I’m very happy with the match, it’s the right way to get out of it. »
A game fact may have changed the course of the meeting. We play the 62nd minute when Marcos Alonso sends his half-volley into the top corner of Courtois. Szymon Marciniak, the Polish referee of the match, validates the 3rd goal of the Blues then reconsiders his decision after having decided that the Spanish side of Chelsea touched the ball with his hand, and this without checking the monitor and the VAR. “It’s not just today,” says Tuchel. When you play against Real Madrid, you might not expect everyone to have the guts to make decisions against them. I felt that in the first leg and today as well. »
But it was the joyful post-match exchange between the man in black and Carlo Ancelotti that most disturbed the German, who was particularly agitated in his area throughout the game: “When I wanted to say thank you , he (the referee) was smiling and laughing with Carlo. I don’t think it’s the right time to do this after 126 minutes of effort from a team (his own) who give their hearts. When you see a referee laughing with the other coach, it’s a bad moment. I told him. »