The round of sixteen of the Champions League could not have ended with more tension than that experienced in the Madrid derby, which ended with a controversial penalty shoot-out marked by the disallowed goal scored by Julián Álvarez in the penalty shoot-out for twice touching the ball.
The images of the penalty have generated a multitude of doubts, some believe that the ball does not move and there is no contact, while others consider that there is contact, minimal, but sufficient to invalidate the goal.
A heart-stopping finale
Atlético de Madrid took 30 seconds into the match to equalize the playoff. From that moment on, both teams seemed more concerned with not conceding a goal than with trying to qualify. After a physical battle lasting 90 minutes, the match went into extra time, an agonizing extra time that also ended in a tie in the playoff. The eleven meters decided.
After the first three goals of the penalty shootout were scored (2 by Real Madrid, who started shooting, and 1 by Atlético de Madrid), it was Julián Álvarez‘s turn. The Argentine footballer slipped as he took the shot, but the ball went into the goal.
However, something had happened during that shot. His face and his celebration revealed that something had happened. Immediately, some Real Madrid players claimed that the player had hit the ball twice during the shot, an illegal situation which, if confirmed, should have invalidated the Argentine’s goal.
A moment of sadness and disbelief
At that moment there were no protests, no doubts, no gestures of any kind. Only the silence of a stadium that saw the tie slip away in the most surreal way possible. The shootout continued, Lucas Vázquez missed, giving hope back to the Rojiblancos, but Marcos Llorente shot against the post in the fourth Rojiblanco penalty. Rudiger did not miss and Real Madrid eliminated their neighbours in the Champions League once again.
And the speculation and indignation began: once the match was over, images of the disallowed penalty began to circulate. In some images, absolutely nothing could be seen, in others it seemed that there had been slight contact. Doubt and controversy were served. The coach of Atlético de Madrid himself, Diego Simeone, urged journalists in the press room to raise their hands if they had been able to witness the contact. In the last few hours, the penalty has gone around the world, and there have been demands for the cameras that UEFA used to make the momentous decision.
UEFA proves that there was a double touch
We had to wait until after 2:00 p.m. for UEFA to publish an image proving that there was a double touch by Julián Álvarez. In the video released by UEFA (which you can see by clicking here), with their own high-quality cameras used for VAR, you can clearly see how the Argentine striker did indeed strike with his left foot just before striking with his right, and therefore it is proven that the goal should be disallowed. Another debate will be about justice or injustice, whether the rules should be changed, but with the current rules, the play is clear and the goal is correctly disallowed.
Despite UEFA’s footage, the controversy continues and it will be difficult for the Atlético fans to consider the play to have been correctly disallowed. Seimone’s team came very close to eliminating Real Madrid in the Champions League. It only took them 30 seconds to do the hardest part, to equalize the tie, and they were unable to extend their lead in the 120 minutes, leaving alive an opponent who was far from their best.