UEFA has issued a statement regarding Julian Alvarez’s controversial penalty during Atletico Madrid’s Champions League last-16 loss to Real Madrid.
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Atletico forced the game to penalties after defeating Real 1-0 in the second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Conor Gallagher netting the only goal in the opening minute. ..Continue Reading
Diego Simeone’s side came close to winning in regular time through Angel Correa but ultimately couldn’t find a second goal.
The tie ended in a 2-2 draw on aggregate, and Real advanced after winning the penalty shootout 4-2. However, Alvarez’s spot kick became the subject of heated debate.
Initially scored past Thibaut Courtois, it was later disallowed by VAR, which ruled that the Argentine striker had illegally touched the ball twice during his attempt.
Post-match footage appeared to confirm the double touch, although fans debated the decision, pointing to varying camera angles.
UEFA has since clarified that the VAR officials alone determined the infraction, without the aid of additional sensors or advanced technology.
The incident was first spotted by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, who raised concerns about the double touch immediately.
While Atletico manager Diego Simeone expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome, he refrained from criticizing the VAR officials during his post-match comments. Real’s victory secured them a quarter-final clash with Arsenal.
He said: “I just saw the image of the penalty. The referee said that, when Julian stepped and kicked, he touched the ball with his foot. But the ball didn’t move.
“That’s something to discuss about whether it was a goal or not, but I’m proud of my players.
“When he plants his foot and kicks, the ball doesn’t move, even a little bit. But if VAR called it, I’ve never seen a penalty called by VAR, but it’s still valid, and they’ll have seen that he touched it. I want to believe they’ll have seen that he touched it.”
