Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone expressed doubt over the controversial decision to disallow Julian Alvarez’s penalty during their Champions League match against Real Madrid. The game, which ended in a 2-2 aggregate draw, was decided in a penalty shootout where Los Blancos emerged victorious, winning 4-2.
During the shootout, Alvarez slipped while taking his penalty. The referee, with assistance from VAR, ruled that he had touched the ball twice—once with his standing foot and then with his kicking foot—before it went into the net. This led to the goal being disallowed, a decision that sparked debate.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Simeone questioned the ruling. “The referee said when Julian got to the penalty spot he touched the ball with his standing foot, but the ball did not move,” he said.
Despite his frustration, the Atletico coach expressed pride in his team’s performance. “But beyond that, which now just serves to argue about whether it should have counted or not, I am proud of my players, I am happy, truly,” he stated. He acknowledged that while they couldn’t defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League, they made it a tough contest.
Simeone also pointed out that he had never seen a penalty decision being reviewed by VAR in such a manner before. He invited the media present to confirm whether they had seen any clear footage showing Alvarez touching the ball twice. “Raise your hand, anyone who saw Julian touch it twice, who is going to raise their hand? Nobody has raised their hand,” he said.
On the other hand, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois backed the decision, stating that he believed Alvarez did make two contacts with the ball. “In the end it’s a lottery, I felt a little that he had touched it twice, that’s what I told the referee, it is clearly not easy to see, but it’s a bit of bad luck for them there,” Courtois told Movistar.
Courtois also criticized Atletico Madrid for their complaints, dismissing claims that referees favor certain teams. “I think UEFA saw it clearly — I’m sick of this victimhood, always crying about stuff like this, the refs don’t want to help particular teams, not in Spain, not in Europe,” he said.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also supported the decision, saying VAR had detected the double touch early. “They detected it, when we realized there was this doubt they had already detected it on VAR,” Ancelotti noted. “I saw it, I think he touches it with his left foot, a second touch.”
