Champions League knock-out ties between city rivals are always likely to be dramatic and the Madrid derby has proved that more than once.
Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 on Wednesday, losing 1-0 on the night but winning on penalties at the Metropolitano.
But controversy reigned when Julian Alvarez’s successful spot kick for the home team was reviewed by the VAR and disallowed.
Confusion and controversy after Alvarez penalty
The former Manchester City forward slipped after his standing foot gave way. He lifted the ball into the roof of the net with his right foot but was adjudged, on review, to have touched it first with his left.
That almost imperceptible touch proved costly as Alvarez’s penalty was declared a miss and Real Madrid went on to win the shoot-out to book their place in the quarter-finals.
UEFA issued a statement on Thursday confirming that Atleti contacted them about the decision.
“Atletico de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julian Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid.
“Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it
“Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed.”
Law 14.1 covers the procedure required in the taking of the penalty kick and the relevant passage clarifies that: “The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves. The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.”
The penalty kick is not unique in this technical requirement – it applies to every dead ball situation – but the fine margins of the penalty shoot-out mean an accidental double touch is harshly punished.
Realistically, there’s little that can be done. While there’s an argument that the kick should be retaken rather than going down as a miss, the law is clear and consistent.
Nevertheless, UEFA has confirmed that it will enter into discussions with world governing body FIFA and football law-making committee IFAB to “determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.”
