Thomas Tuchel has explained his controversial decision to withdraw Harry Kane during Bayern Munich Champions League semi-final defeat to Real Madrid.
Bayern were on the verge of hosting an all-German final after Alphonso Davies gave the visitors a 3-2 lead at the Bernabeu.
But Real Madrid made a late comeback Surprise Bayern Munich and advance to the final as they chase a record-extending 15th European Cup.
Manuel Neuer, who produced some great saves to frustrate Madrid earlier in the match, spilled an easy save to allow Joselu to equalize after 88 minutes.
And the Real Madrid striker, who previously enjoyed a spell in the Premier League with Stoke City, scored again in stoppage time to complete a dramatic turnaround and send Carlo Ancelotti's side through.
Kane was on the bench by the time Madrid scored two late goals, having been replaced by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the 85th minute.
Owen Hargreaves and Paul Scholes criticized Tuchel's decision to sack the England captain but the Bayern boss says Kane's involvement in the final ten minutes was taken out of his hands.
“We started with a front four and all four have to go out with an injury or cramp,” Tuchel told TNT Sports. 'Kane had back problems, that was no longer possible. The front four all said they had to go.”
On Bayern Munich's Champions League exit, Tuchel – who is set to leave the club at the end of the season – added: 'It hurts. It will take a while to recover, but on the one hand it is a loss because we left everything on the field.
'It is of course difficult to accept. It is part of reality. No regrets. But on the other hand, there were too many injuries, a few too many substitutions, too many cramps.
“We started with a front four and by the end they were all off the pitch. And then Manu, who had saved us exceptionally all night, made a mistake that he would not make again in a hundred years.'
Real Madrid, who were crowned La Liga champions this weekend, will face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final after the German side eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final.
Commenting on his side's semi-final victory, Ancelotti said: 'I think we played well, but to be honest we had chances to control the game.
'We had the strength to go up when they scored. Here it happened again. It's quite common at the Bernabeu with our supporters. With them we can do something unexpected.
'We believed. Joselu did a fantastic job. He is a fantastic striker. We did very well and had a lot of energy at the end of the match.
'I'm obviously going to enjoy it until the final. We are having fantastic days with our supporters celebrating the competition. It will be fantastic.'
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