Monday’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid flowed into chaos during a penalty shootout, with Julián Alvarez’s annulled spot-kick becoming the subject of fierce controversy. The match, which ended 2-2 on aggregate after Atletico’s 1-0 second leg win saw the tie went into a penalty shoot-out, where Real eventually won 4-2. The turning point came when Alvarez, Atletico’s second taker, looked like he had pulled the score back to 2-2.
Alvarez slipped as he surged and the ball screamed high into the top corner beyond Thibaut Courtois. Initially celebrated, the goal was denied after a VAR review, with Szymon Marciniak ruling that Alvarez had touched the ball twice – once with his standing leg and again from his kicking foot. UEFA’s semi-automatic technology, with twenty six cameras and a ball equipped totally with sensors, reportedly confirmed the double touch, which is against the rules stating that a kicker must not play the ball again till another player has touched it. Real Madrid progressed to meet Arsenal in the Quarter-finals.
The decision was greeted by fury. Atletico fans and neutrals said the evidence was inconclusive, with replays unable to show a clear and uncomplicated double touch. Diego Simeone, Atletico’s manager, questioned the decision, sarcastically asking if anyone could actually see the ball move after the first contact. Critics pointed to inconsistent rulings—such as a 2023 case in Scotland where a similar slip was allowed—fueling claims of bias toward Real Madrid, a club that has often been accused of finding favour with continental referees.
Real Madrid’s Courtois and Carlo Ancelotti defended the decision with reference to the rules, but the lack of clear play-back was uncomfortable. This incident has rekindled the issues with VAR’s positioning in football, and a clarification to avoid incidents outinting the sport has been sought after by many.
