Diego Simeone was visibly frustrated and he didn’t hold back in his criticism of the controversial decision
Julian Alvarez’s penalty drama stole the spotlight in the Champions League last-16 shootout between Atletico and Real Madrid on Wednesday. As the Argentinian stepped up, he slipped while striking the ball, yet it still soared into the top-left corner, seemingly leveling the shootout at 2-2.
However, what followed was a rare and controversial VAR decision. Upon review, Alvarez was found to have made two touches on the ball—a violation of the rules, leading to the goal being disallowed with no chance for a retake. Real Madrid took advantage, extending their lead to 3-1 before eventually winning 4-2. The post-match discussions were dominated by this controversial call, with many debating whether it was the right decision.
The referee did not initially see the double touch but Madrid players were calling it to his attention. “I felt that he touched the ball twice and I told the referee,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. “It’s not easy to see that. It was a bit of bad luck for them there.”
Speaking after the match, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was visibly frustrated and he didn’t hold back in his criticism of the decision. “I just saw the image of the penalty,’ Simeone said. ‘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.“
Simeone added: ‘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.”
Simeone didn’t want to blame the elimination on bad luck.
“I wouldn’t talk about luck. I would talk about feeling proud of the team that we have and about how we always compete,” Simeone said. “Madrid has always beaten us in the Champions League, but they have always suffered. I’m sure they’ll always remember that.”
“This team gave everything and deserved the applause the fans gave us in return. The fans were there yesterday, they were there today. It was a very beautiful day. We [don’t get to] continue [in the Champions League], but I’m leaving in peace.”
Thierry Henry, former Arsenal legend and 1998 FIFA World Cup winner with France, weighed in on the controversy while speaking on CBS’s Champions League Show, Sports Golazo. The ex-striker and pundit emphasized that, regardless of the emotions surrounding the decision, the rules must be followed. Henry said, “If he did touch it twice – that is the rules.”
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards had a different take. He said, “I still don’t like to see it though. I’m not convinced. It still wasn’t conclusive he had a double touch on the angles we say saw, so.“
