Julian Álvarez’s dramatic penalty against Real Madrid to spark change of rules

In Atletico Madrid’s Champions League loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday, Julián Álvarez’s penalty was denied. UEFA stated that they would “enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB” over a potential revision to the regulation.

After the match ended all square at 2-2 on aggregate, Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will play Arsenal, with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory at the Metropolitano after extra time.

Álvarez’s spot attempt was disallowed during a crucial juncture in the shootout when VAR saw that the Atlético striker had booted the ball twice, once with each foot, as he slipped and scored past goalie Thibaut Courtois.

As a result, Atlético protested, with coach Diego Simeone claiming that “the ball doesn’t move” and confronting reporters about the ruling at his press conference after the game.

Courtois responded by accusing Atlético of “crying.” In addition to the statement, UEFA published frame-by-frame video on Thursday that seemed to demonstrate Alvarez’s standing leg making “minimal” contact with the ball.

“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 against Real Madrid,” UEFA said.

“Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip. Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed.

“UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.”

The International Football Association Board, or IFAB, is in charge of the game’s regulations and any suggested modifications.

On Wednesday, the Álvarez incident caused confusion inside the stadium, as many spectators were originally unaware that the spot kick had been rejected. Simeone led Atlético’s postmatch protests.

With a goal by Conor Gallagher after just 27 seconds, Atlético won 1-0 on the evening and dominated the match for extended periods of time. The team lost the 2014 and 2016 finals and was ousted in the 2017 semifinals, and they have never defeated local rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League.