LONDON: Borussia Dortmund scored two late goals to controversially knock out debutants Malaga and reach the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday while Real Madrid thwarted a valiant Galatasaray fightback to progress.
Dortmund looked to be down and out after an 82nd-minute goal from Eliseu put Malaga 2-1 up on the night and on aggregate even though he looked offside.
But the game ended in dramatic fashion as Marco Reus and Felipe Santana struck in stoppage time to send the 1997 European champions through to the last four with a 3-2 scoreline.
Santana’s goal was surrounded in controversy, however, with four Dortmund players appearing to be offside when the ball was crossed into the area while Santana himself looked offside when he poked the ball into the net to break Malaga’s hearts.
The normally restrained Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini slammed the match officials in his post-match news conference.
The club’s director general, Vicente Casado, told reporters on Wednesday before flying back to Spain with the squad that Malaga would file a written complaint with soccer’s European governing body UEFA about the refereeing.
“On this occasion we could not, or they did not want us to, get through,” Pellegrini said. “After we went 2-1 ahead there was no refereeing,” the Chilean added, although Eliseu’s 82nd minute goal for the Spaniards also appeared to be offside.
“They forced us back with elbows and shoves. There were two sendings off that were not given, a double offside in the third goal which should not have counted.
“They said this was the best team in Europe and by the end they were hoofing long balls forward. We are leaving with very bitter feelings.”
Winger Joaquin, who put Malaga ahead in the 25th minute, and club owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, a member of the Qatar royal family, were even more outspoken.
In a series of tweets on his official Twitter feed soon after the final whistle, Al Thani blamed the defeat on “racism” and called on UEFA to launch an inquiry.
UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino on Wednesday dismissed Al Thani’s claim, telling reporters: “UEFA is not taking any racist action against any club.
“Now depending on what he has said or not said… I can understand if you lose a match in the 93rd minute then the emotions come up and you say things you have not really thought through and should not say,” Infantino said at the Soccerex European forum in Manchester.
“I don’t know how there could be any racist abuse from UEFA. How can he blame UEFA for racism when they (Malaga) lost the game from two late goals?”
Infantino added: “We will analyse his comments and the UEFA disciplinary inspectors will act if they have to act depending on what has been said.”
In the night’s other quarter-final, Cristiano Ronaldo, top scorer in this season’s competition, scored twice to take his tally to 11 as Real went through 5-3 on aggregate despite losing a rip-roaring second leg 3-2 in Istanbul.
The tie seemed effectively over when Portugal forward Ronaldo stabbed the ball in from close range after seven minutes but Galatasaray, inspired by a typically noisy home crowd, refused to give in.
Emmanuel Eboue rifled home a blistering long-range shot after 57 minutes before Wesley Sneijder made up for missing an easy chance moments earlier by making it 2-1 to the Turkish side on the night.
Didier Drogba, Chelsea’s hero in last year’s final, then sent the home fans wild with delight when he nonchalantly back-heeled the third goal for Galatasaray in the 72nd minute.
Real substitute Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off in the closing stages but Ronaldo made sure his team’s hopes of becoming kings of Europe for the 10th time remained intact when he notched his second goal in stoppage time.
Real coach Jose Mourinho saluted the passion of the Galatasaray fans, saying, “I know Galatasaray are strong. They did not play with 11 men today, they played with 50,000 incredible supporters. It was hard for us and they deserved to win tonight.”
“I had no time to be nervous,” Real’s coach told reporters. “I don’t have time to feel nervous on the sidelines.
The last two quarter-finals will be completed on Wednesday when Juventus bid to overturn a 2-0 deficit at home to Bayern Munich and title favourites Barcelona take on Paris St Germain after the first leg in France ended in a 2-2 draw.
The semi-final draw is on Friday.
Wembley will host the final for a record seventh time on May 25. (Reuters)