Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to disallow Julián Álvarez's crucial penalty during their round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid. The match, which ended 2-2 on aggregate on Wednesday, saw the penalty ruled out after the VAR determined that Álvarez had touched the ball with both feet. The technology in the VAR room provided clear images and multiple angles of the incident.
Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid's goalkeeper, believed that Álvarez touched the ball twice and communicated this to the referee. Despite the controversy, the match proceeded to extra time following Conor Gallagher's early goal that secured Atlético a 1-0 win at the Metropolitano.
"I've just seen the images, the referee says Julián touches the ball with his supporting leg, but the ball doesn't move," said Diego Simeone.
"That's debatable, whether it was a goal or not. But I'm proud of my players, I'm honestly happy, because we competed in an exemplary way," Simeone added.
Real Madrid emerged victorious in the ensuing penalty shootout. Carlo Ancelotti made a strategic decision to have Rüdiger take the fifth and decisive spot kick instead of young forward Endrick. Rüdiger successfully scored, contributing to Real Madrid's victory. Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde also converted their penalties in the shootout.
"For UEFA, it's clear. I'm sick of this victimhood, always crying about things like this. Referees don't want to benefit one team or another in Spain or in Europe, for them it was clear. With the technology, in the VAR room they saw it clearly, they have a lot of cameras and a lot of images," Thibaut Courtois commented.
With this win, Real Madrid advances to play Arsenal in the quarterfinals. The first leg is scheduled for April 8, followed by the return leg on April 16.
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