MATTHIJS DE LIGT has revealed the linesman apologised to him for "making a mistake" in Bayern Munich's defeat to Real Madrid.
The German giants were beaten 4-3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-final after a 2-1 loss on Wednesday night.
However, De Ligt thought he had snatched a dramatic late equaliser only for it to be controversially ruled out.
A long ball into the Real Madrid penalty area was headed down to the defender in the 12th minute of added time.
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The whistle was blown as he smashed the ball into the net, though, after the linesman's flag had been raised.
Fans slammed the decision on social media, with the Bayern bench enraged by the incident.
Manager Thomas Tuchel fumed that the "disaster" decision was "against the rules" after the match.
De Ligt has also addressed the incident and revealed the assistant referee had apologised to him.
Speaking to beINSPORTS, he explained: "This is a shame. The linesman said to me 'I'm sorry I made a mistake'.
"In the end, I'm not the type of person who wants to blame the loss or win on the referee so Madrid deserves to win because they won 2-1.
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"But I think, if it's a rule, it's a rule and that's the only thing I can say about it."
The second leg had proven to be an eventful night for the officials, with fans spotting an error during the first half.
Real Madrid almost scored after play was allowed to continue despite a second ball already being on the pitch when a throw-in was taken.
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Meanwhile, the hosts had a goal disallowed for offside after a VAR review penalised a foul on Joshua Kimmich.
Joselu's stoppage time winner was also only confirmed after a review having initially been ruled out for offside.
De Ligt's late disallowed goal meant Bayern were unable to force extra-time, though.
Instead, Los Blancos will now take on Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley Stadium on June 1.
