Ballack then lost his temper. On the one hand, because Kane was almost certainly level with Nuno Mendes; on the other, because the VAR could have intervened in what was potentially a match-deciding moment, had there been an offside.
"The referee blows his whistle before the assistant has even raised his flag—he just can't do that. That's a huge mistake. The officials should have let the play run. Why did he blow the whistle? He's clean through on goal. What might have happened next is another matter, but the whistle should never have sounded."
In the 29th minute, Pinheiro was back in the spotlight in only his 15th Champions League match: Nuno Mendes, already on a yellow card, halted a Bayern counter-attack with a clear handball. Instead of showing him a second yellow, Pinheiro controversially called an earlier handball on Laimer. Replays suggested the Austrian had controlled the ball with his stomach and thigh, meaning a clear misjudgement that cost FCB a potential 60-minute numerical advantage.
"The referee is once again interfering in this wonderful football match and changing the balance of play. Bayern were clearly disadvantaged here," said Sami Khedira on DAZN.