Was it a fair call? UEFA settles controversial Alvarez penalty with clear footage

UEFA provides clear footage of Julian Alvarez’s penalty kick in the Champions League Round of 16 clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid last night.

Atletico Madrid quickly equalised just 30 seconds into their Champions League match against Real Madrid, setting the tone for a hard-fought 90 minutes that saw both teams focused on avoiding conceding rather than pushing for the win.

Despite the tense battle, the match went into extra time, which also ended in a draw, leading to a penalty shootout to decide the outcome.

After the first three penalties, with Real Madrid converting two and Atletico one, it was time for Julian Alvarez to step up. The Argentine striker slipped slightly as he took his shot, but the ball went into the back of the net.

However, there was controversy surrounding his penalty. Real Madrid players immediately claimed Alvarez had double-touched the ball, an infraction that would invalidate the goal.

???? More footage of Julian Alvarez’s penalty.

You decide if it was a double touch.pic.twitter.com/zpHZwnpRT0

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 13, 2025

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Although there were no immediate protests or reactions from the players, the stadium fell silent, as everyone was unsure what had happened. The shootout continued with Lucas Vázquez missing his penalty, which gave Atletico Madrid some hope.

However, Marcos Llorente’s miss and Antonio Rudiger’s successful strike sealed the victory for Real Madrid, eliminating Atletico once again from the Champions League.

As the match concluded, debate over Alvarez’s penalty grew. Some footage appeared to show nothing unusual, while other angles suggested a slight contact with his standing foot before kicking the ball.

Atletico Madrid’s coach, Diego Simeone, even urged journalists in the press room to share whether they saw the contact.

UEFA's explanation and footage

UEFA later issued a statement confirming that Alvarez had, in fact, made contact with the ball using his standing foot before taking the shot. This breach of Law 14.1 of the Laws of the Game led to the disallowed goal.

UEFA stated that the VAR had correctly intervened, and added that they would consult with FIFA and IFAB about possibly revising the rule when a double touch is unintentional.

Statement on the VAR decision at last night's Atlético vs Real Madrid match:

Atlético de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match… pic.twitter.com/HlVU6KwCJD

— UEFA (@UEFA) March 13, 2025

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