Julian Alvarez penalty: Why was Atletico Madrid sp...

Julian Alvarez’s spot kick was controversially dominated out in Atletico Madrid’s shoot-out defeat to Actual Madrid within the Champions League – however why was it disallowed, and did the ahead even break the principles in any respect?

Alvarez was second on Atletico’s checklist of penalty takers of their Champions League last-16 shoot-out, after they’d crushed city-rivals Actual 1-0 within the second leg to sq. the tie 2-2 on combination.

The Argentine stepped up from 12 yards and, regardless of slipping, smashed his penalty simply beneath the crossbar previous a helpless Thibault Courtois. Greater than a minute later the kick was disallowed following a VAR examine which dominated that he had touched the ball with each ft as he fell.

In IFAB’s 2024/25 Legal guidelines of the Sport, in describing the process of a penalty shoot-out it’s acknowledged: “[A penalty] kick is accomplished when the ball stops shifting, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any offence; the kicker could not play the ball a second time.”

Ultimately, that rule would show essential within the shoot-out as Actual progressed 4-2 on spot kicks, with Marcos Llorente and Lucas Vazquez each additionally lacking penalties for both aspect.

On the time Alvarez’s effort was disallowed, Actual’s subsequent taker Federico Valverde had been ready for his personal try for a while when referee Szymon Marciniak, who was the person within the center for Man Metropolis’s Champions League last win over Inter in 2023, pointed to each of his personal ft and crossed his arms to sign that the earlier purpose had been disallowed.

Giant sections of the help contained in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium appeared unaware that Alvarez’s effort had been chalked off, whereas lots of the wider viewing public questioned whether or not it ought to have been disallowed in any respect.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone refused to criticised Marciniak and his workforce of officers however did query whether or not there was conclusive proof Alvarez had touched the ball twice – as various TV angles appeared to point out his standing leg could not have made contact with it in any respect.

“I simply noticed the picture of the penalty,” he advised his post-match press convention. “The referee stated that when Julián stepped and kicked, he touched the ball together with his foot, however the ball did not transfer. That is one thing to debate about whether or not it was a purpose or not, however I am pleased with my gamers.

“When he crops his foot and kicks, the ball does not transfer even somewhat bit. But when VAR referred to as it, I’ve by no means seen a penalty referred to as by VAR, but it surely’s nonetheless legitimate, and so they’ll have seen that he touched it. I need to imagine they’re going to have seen that he touched it.”

Addressing the room of journalists immediately, he then added: “What did you see? Elevate your hand in case you assume Julian knocked twice. I did not communicate to him.”

There was no apparent signal at first that Marciniak had been advised by his VAR about an ongoing examine, and after the sport Actual goalkeeper Courtois admitted he had identified to the referee that he felt Alvarez had dedicated the offence – which can have been what led to the examine.

“I felt that he touched the ball twice and I advised the referee,” he stated. “It isn’t straightforward to see that. It was a little bit of unhealthy luck for them there.”