Inter Milan edged past Barcelona 4–3 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, advancing to the final with a 7–6 aggregate score. After the match, German Football Association referee expert Wagner expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of referee Szymon Marciniak.
Wagner criticized Marciniak for losing awareness of the match situation and blowing the whistle too early. He pointed out: “In the final moments of the first half of extra time, Inter midfielder Barella was through on goal in what could very likely have been a scoring opportunity, but the referee blew the whistle for halftime at that exact moment.”
He added that Marciniak’s performance in extra time was disappointing: “After the game went into extra time, it seemed like Marciniak lost his focus. That’s very troubling. Even in extra time, the referee must remain fully alert, especially when a clear scoring chance is developing on the field.”
Similar controversy arose during last year’s Champions League semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, which was also officiated by Marciniak. In the final moments of that match, De Ligt scored what appeared to be an equalizer, but the play was ruled offside by Marciniak before the goal. Wagner also reflected on that game: “Marciniak often blows his whistle too early. Back then, Tuchel was furious on the sidelines. This time, it’s Inzaghi’s turn to protest.”
In the De Ligt incident, Mazraoui was ruled offside before the goal was scored.
Unlike Bayern, who were eliminated last year due to the disallowed goal, this time the missed scoring chance did not affect the outcome—Inter Milan still emerged victorious. In conclusion, Wagner emphasized: “A top-level referee like Marciniak must maintain control of the match. He needs to seriously reflect on his performance.”