Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was left seething after a controversial VAR decision overturned a penalty scored by Julian Alvarez during a tense Champions League Round of 16 penalty shootout against arch-rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday night. The decision proved pivotal as Atletico were eliminated from the competition, losing 4-2 in the shootout after a 2-2 aggregate draw over two legs.
The incident occurred when Alvarez stepped up for Atletico’s second penalty in the shootout. The Argentine striker appeared to have confidently dispatched the ball into the net, leveling the score at 2-2. However, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak halted celebrations, and after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed. The official ruling was that Alvarez had touched the ball twice—once with his standing left foot and then with his right foot as he slipped during the attempt—violating the one-touch rule for penalty kicks.
Simeone, visibly frustrated, unleashed a passionate tirade during his post-match press conference, questioning the clarity of the evidence used to overturn the call. “I’ve just seen the images. The referee says Julian touches the ball with his supporting leg, but the ball doesn’t move,” Simeone told reporters. “When Julian kicks the penalty, the ball doesn’t even move a bit. I imagine they called the VAR and saw that he touched it. I want to believe they’ll have seen that he touched it, but I’ve never seen a penalty called by VAR like this in a shootout. Never!”
In a dramatic moment, Simeone turned the press conference into an impromptu poll, challenging journalists to weigh in on the decision. “Raise your hand, anyone who saw Julian touch it twice,” he demanded. “Did you see it? Don’t be afraid to speak. Are you afraid because you’re going to be punished? If you’re afraid, don’t say anything. Raise your hand if you think Julian knocked it twice.” The room remained largely silent, with few, if any, hands raised, amplifying Simeone’s disbelief.
The Atletico boss’s frustration was palpable as he continued to defend his player and question the officiating process. “Did you ask Julian if he touched the ball twice?” one journalist inquired. Simeone shot back, “Did you see it? What did you see? Did he touch it? I didn’t speak with Julian. Another question.”
The disallowed penalty shifted the momentum firmly in Real Madrid’s favor, with Antonio Rudiger eventually scoring the decisive kick to secure their advancement to the quarter-finals, where they will face Arsenal.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a former Atletico player under Simeone, offered a contrasting view, suggesting he had immediately sensed the double touch and alerted the referee. “I felt that he touched the ball twice and I told the referee. It’s not easy to see that. For UEFA, it’s clear,” Courtois said, dismissing Simeone’s complaints as “victimhood.”
Despite the defeat, Simeone expressed pride in his team’s effort, acknowledging the emotional toll of the loss. “We’ll see if this defeat will cost us moving forward. The way we went out, it’s not easy to digest,” he said. “But I’m proud of my players, and I hope they can recover quickly.” Atletico now turn their attention to a crucial La Liga clash against Barcelona on Sunday.
The controversy has reignited debates over VAR’s role in football, particularly in high-stakes moments like penalty shootouts. UEFA confirmed that no in-ball technology was used in the decision, relying solely on video review, which has only fueled further discussion about the consistency and transparency of officiating in the sport.