Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has disclosed that the assistant referee apologised to him following a significant error at the conclusion of an intense Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

Tuchel expressed his frustration over the "disastrous decision" that annulled a potential equaliser by Matthijs de Ligt, leading to Bayern Munich's elimination from the Champions League with a 4-3 aggregate loss to Real Madrid.

The semi-final tie had been finely balanced after a 2-2 draw in Germany last week, and Alphonso Davies unexpectedly put the visitors ahead with 22 minutes remaining at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bayern seemed poised to end Madrid’s unbeaten home streak of 13 months, but Joselu equalised in the 88th minute after Manuel Neuer fumbled a shot from Vinicius Junior. Joselu then scored from close range three minutes later to secure a memorable 2-1 victory.

Initially, the goal was disallowed after the offside flag was raised, but VAR instructed Szymon Marciniak to review the incident, confirming that both Joselu and the assisting Antonio Rudiger were onside.

More drama unfolded in the 13th minute of stoppage time when referee Marciniak blew his whistle as the offside flag went up, just before De Ligt struck into the bottom corner following a pass from Joshua Kimmich that led to a scramble in the Madrid box.

Bayern protested to the officials, but their efforts were in vain as the German giants and England captain Harry Kane ended the season without a trophy.

The last-minute decision sparked heated discussions at the final whistle, with Tuchel acknowledging that the officials acknowledged their error.

"The linesman apologised, but that does not make a difference," Tuchel stated. "To raise the flag in such a moment...

"The referee saw that we gained possession of the second ball and had the shot - it's a very, very poor decision. It goes against the rules. It's a disaster. It's difficult to accept, but that's how it is."

Tuchel, who will depart Bayern at the end of the season and is strongly linked with a move to Manchester United, admitted that the pain of narrowly missing out on the Wembley final will linger.

"It's painful. It will take some time to recover, but on one hand, it's a loss where we gave everything on the pitch," he added.

"We were almost there, but there was an unusual mistake from our best player for the equaliser, and then we conceded the second in stoppage time.

"We scored one, and then there was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels like a betrayal in the end. We fought hard, left everything on the pitch, and were almost there. Now we congratulate Real Madrid."

Tuchel's counterpart, Carlo Ancelotti, will face Borussia Dortmund in the final for the fifth time and praised his players for their resilience.

"Unbelievable. I'm really grateful to them; they worked very hard. This is the best squad I have ever had in my career," said the Italian, who has already guided his side to the Spanish league title this season.

"We believed. Joselu did a fantastic job. He is a fantastic striker. We did really well and had a lot of energy at the end of the game.

"I'm going to enjoy it now until the final. We have fantastic days ahead with our supporters to celebrate the league. It will be fantastic."