Netherlands defender De Ligt said the assistant referee apologised for the decision after full-time.

“[He] said ‘I am sorry, I made a mistake’,” De Ligt said.

“We made rules in football. The rules said if it’s not a clear offside you have to keep playing. This is a big mistake.”

Christina Unkel, former Fifa referee and referee analyst for CBS, said there were two mistakes around the decision by the officials.

“The first error is by the assistant in raising the flag, which goes against the direction of holding the flag during the attacking phase of play,” she said.

“The second error is by the referee in accepting that recommendation and blowing his whistle.

“This Polish trio would be considered the best in Europe. It is a very surprising decision.”

Joselu’s equaliser came after a mistake from Manuel Neuer, who fumbled Vinicius Jr’s weak shot.

The Germany keeper said: “Anyone who’s ever played football knows how I’m feeling right now – that we’ve been knocked out in the closing stages, having led 1-0 until the 85th minute.

“It’s extremely bitter for me. I expected the ball to land a bit differently to my chest but it went a bit higher and it was difficult to get a hold of it.”

Tuchel said: “No-one will point a finger at him and he is the most unhappy one.

“Ninety-nine out of 100 times he makes it. It is just very, very bitter.”