Super-sub Joselu, a Stoke and Newcastle reject, embodies Real Madrid spirit says Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti described journeyman forward Joselu as "the perfect reflection" of his side's never-say-die spirit after the 34-year-old came off to the bench to score twice in last night's dramatic Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich.

Jose, the former Stoke and Newcastle forward, joined Real on loan from Espanyol last summer, effectively as an emergency squad filler, and he will likely leave at the end of the season to make way for superstars Kylian Mbappe and Endrick.

But he had his unforgettable moment in the sun, scoring in the 88th and 91st minutes at the Bernabeu to book Real's place in another Champions League final.

“He's a reflection of the team because he has contributed so much this season,” said Ancelotti.

“He hasn't had a lot of game time but he's the perfect reflection of what this team is all about. He has given us so much, without ever losing confidence in what he's capable of.”

Ancelotti, who will be aiming for a third Champions League title as a coach when Real face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1, dismissed his counterpart Thomas Tuchel's complaints about a late disallowed goal but struggled to explain Real's latest extraordinary comeback in this competition.

Tuchel was incensed at a refereeing error in the 103rd-minute which he felt denied his side an equaliser, calling the decision "a betrayal" and "disastrous". Matthijs de Ligt scored but the linesman’s flag was up for an offside against against Noussair Mazraoui and the referee, Szymon Marciniak, had already blown his whistle before the ball went in, leading the Real defenders to appear to stop.

“If they can complain about that we can complain about the goal Nacho had disallowed,” said Ancelotti, referencing Real's disallowed goal for a shove, shortly after Alphonso Davies had put Bayern in front.

“It happened again: it has happened other times and it’s inexplicable. It’s something magical. We played well, we had chances, and then we had the strength not to lose our heads when they scored. We have completed a season that few expected.”

Tuchel, who substituted Harry Kane in the 85th-minute with Bayern leading 1-0, felt the defeat could be explained by the officials' errors and a "very unusual" blunder by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who spilled Vinicius Jr's shot into Joselu's path for the equaliser.

“The linesman said sorry but that does not help,” the Bayern Munich manager said. “There are two mistakes.

“The first big mistake is from the linesman. He raised his flag straight away; to raise your flag in a situation like this, you have to be very, very sure it’s offside. To have the guts, the balls, to raise the flag like this is a huge, huge call, and it is the wrong call. We got the shot away within five seconds [of the flag] and the referee has the chance not to whistle, but he whistles. It is against every rule.”