Explained: Why Was Julián Álvarez’s Penalty Shootout Goal Disallowed Against Real Madrid?
The UEFA Champions League once again delivered an end-to-end action-packed match, but with a twist when Julian Alvarez’s penalty shoot-out goal was cancelled. Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid is arguably one of the best fixtures especially in a prestigious competition like the UEFA Champions League. Such an enthralling match between two of the best teams in the world would not be easy for either side to win.
What Happened During Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid in UCL Clash?
The first leg ended 2-1 in favour of Real Madrid. After which Atletico did not give up as the second leg was in their home stadium, the Metropolitano Stadium, where Real Madrid had not won a match since 2022. Atletico Madrid delivered an instantly attacking as the match started and Conor Gallagher scored a goal within 30 seconds to make the score 2-2 on aggregate. Both teams attacked and defended well, however, it was a stalemate even in extra-time due to which the match had to go to penalties.
This is where everything took a disappointing turn for Atletico Madrid. Former Man City forward Julian Alvarez was second on the list of penalty takers for Atletico Madrid. Julian stepped up and even though he slipped, he smashed the penalty making the score 2-2 at the moment in the penalty shoot-out. However, just within a minute when Federico Valverde stepped up and was waiting to take the penalty, a VAR check was concluded and ruled out Julian Alvarez’s penalty goal on the basis that there was a double touch on the ball as he fell and scored.
This led to the score being 2-1 in the time being and Fede Valverde capitalized on that scoring his penalty to make it 3-1. Referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to his feet and crossed his arms to signal and imply that the Julian Alvarez penalty goal was cancelled. This was quite distressing and confusing for the fans and viewers since there was no VAR check shown on the screen or in the stadium.
Ultimately, Julian’s cancelled penalty goal proved to be lethal for Atletico Madrid since Marcos Llorente missed his penalty and Antonio Rudiger scored the winning penalty to make it 4-2.
What Are The Rules Regarding VAR And Double Touch In Penalties?
Regarding the VAR, the VAR team used replays from multiple angles to confirm whether there was a double touch or not, upon confirming that there was a double touch, the rules are quite simple.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) determines the laws and rules of football and has clearly stated that there has to be only one touch on the ball in a penalty kick.
Article 14.1 of the IFAB states: “The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.” 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 same law prevents scoring on a rebound if the ball hits the woodwork during a penalty.
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Official Statement From Diego Simeone And Players For Julian Alvarez Penalty
Diego Simeone addressed a room of journalists saying that “I just saw the image of the penalty.” The referee said that when Julián 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.”
“What did you see? Raise your hand if you think Julian kicked twice. I didn’t speak to him.”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said that
“I felt that he touched the ball twice and I told the referee,” he said. “It’s not easy to see that. It was a bit of bad luck for them there.”
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric said that
“I haven’t seen it but if he’s touched the ball twice, well, that’s the rules. It’s unfortunate for him. This is football. If he has it’s normal to disallow it.”