Josip Stanišić (25), a teammate of Kim Min-jae (29) at Bayern Munich, bowed his head over his hasty actions.

The defender from Croatia, Stanišić, sparked controversy on the 17th (Korean time) during stoppage time in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinal against Inter Milan (Italy) when he pushed a ball boy from the opposing team.

The situation was tense with both teams tied at 2-2. However, unlike Inter, which had won the first leg 2-1 and was relaxed, Stanišić knew that his team needed an additional goal to advance to the semifinals. As a result, he was anxious.

However, Inter, led by head coach Simone Inzaghi, tried to control the game to secure their advancement to the semifinals. The ball boy, too, was seen participating in wasting time by handing the ball over slowly for the home team, Inter.

With just over a minute left in the match, Stanišić attempted to catch the ball that had gone out. At that moment, he pushed the ball boy, who was trying to throw the ball to the side to waste time. The young ball boy, seated, tumbled backward as Stanišić shoved him hard in the chest.

As a result of this incident, Stanišić had to confront Inter players. As tensions rose between both sides, Federico Dimarco, sitting on the Inter bench, became enraged and received a yellow card. Meanwhile, Stanišić, who caused the incident, went unpunished.

According to global sports network ESPN on the 18th, Stanišić noted in an interview with a German media outlet, "Every team in such situations tries to waste some time. Inter managed to do that a bit better than other teams."

He added, "Pushing him was a foolish action on my part, and I feel sorry about it," stating, "At that moment, it was really annoying to see such tricks being used, and I felt it was unnecessary."

In the end, Bayern Munich could not score an additional goal, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. With a combined score of 3-4 from the two legs, Bayern Munich tasted the bitterness of elimination, while Inter celebrated their advancement to the semifinals.

Stanišić expressed his pain over the Champions League elimination on his social media (SNS), stating, "I am heartbroken. We did our best, but it wasn't enough."

Meanwhile, when asked about whether UEFA would initiate disciplinary proceedings against Stanišić, they stated, "We are currently reviewing the official reports from the two matches held last night."

[OSEN]