Champions League: Here's why Julian Alvarez's penalty was disallowed in Real Madrid defeat
Sports, Football: The Champions League R16 had a controversial moment after Real Madrid knocked out traditional rivals Atletico 4-2 on penalties to reach the quarterfinal.
The Champions League R16 had a controversial moment on Wednesday (Mar 12) after Real Madrid knocked out traditional rivals Atletico 4-2 on penalties to reach the quarterfinal. The match was marred by a series of big moments, but one particular moment that stood out was Julian Alvarez’s disallowed goal in the penalty shootout. The striker was deemed to have touched the ball twice, which resulted in the controversial moment before Atletico crashed out.
Here's why Julian Alvarez's penalty was disallowed
According to the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) 2024/25 Laws of the Game, in describing the procedure of a penalty shoot-out it is stated: "(A penalty) kick is completed when the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any offence; the kicker may not play the ball a second time."
The above rule clearly states that a player taking a penalty should not touch the ball twice when the penalty is taken. Referee Szymon Marciniak took the help of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to check the incident while it was also confirmed that the panel used semi-automated offside technology to get a précised decision.
It was hard to judge the deflection of the ball with the naked eye when Alvarez took the penalty as his left foot was close to the ball. The incident sparked anger among Atletico boss Diego Simeone, was he wasn't happy with the referee’s decision to take time and get the help of the VAR.
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Real heartbreak continues for Atletico
This is not the first time Atletico have been on the wrong end of the result against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Atletico lost to Real in the Champions League final in 2014 and 2016 and were knocked out in the quarterfinal in the 2015 season over two legs. Wednesday’s defeat means Atletico’s dream of winning the Champions League was halted for another season.
