Thierry Henry has addressed the contentious VAR decision involving Julian Alvarez’s penalty during Atletico Madrid’s clash with Real Madrid.
During the Champions League shootout on Wednesday night at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Alvarez stepped forward to take Atletico’s second penalty.
Initially, his attempt found the back of the net, but VAR controversially ruled it out after determining that the Argentine had made contact with the ball twice. ..Continue Reading
Following the match, various angles of the incident emerged online, with some appearing to show a slight touch from Alvarez’s standing foot before his strike.
On CBS Sports, Henry, joined by fellow pundit Micah Richards, shared his thoughts on the incident and the debate surrounding the VAR ruling.
Henry began: “It is very difficult to see… there, it is very difficult to see but he does [touch the ball].”
After Richards labelled the decision as ‘harsh’, Henry said: “Isn’t that the rule?”
In response, Richards said: “Okay it’s the rules but it’s still harsh. We’re talking the slightest of touches.”
At this point, presenter Kate Scott (Formerly Kate Abdo) gave her own opinion, she added: “Even blown up I find that very hard to see…”
Henry then added: “If they’ve called it, I would think they would have like to have seen it.”
When asked if he felt the double touch was clear, the Frenchman said: “I think it was.”
“There is something that I would like to know, if Julian Alvarez complained. Usually the players reaction will tell you. You know when you scored a penalty or not… your first reaction is a real expression of ‘I didn’t do anything’… if he did touch it twice, that’s the rule.”
As a result of their win over Atletico, Real Madrid will now face Premier League team Arsenal in the last eight, the first leg will take on place April 8 at the Emirates.
