The disallowed penalty by Julián Álvarez against Real Madrid made headlines around the world. In an interview with ESPN, the Argentine criticized FIFA's rules.
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In the Champions League Round of 16, Julián Álvarez became the centre of controversy in one of the most dramatic and talked-about moments of this year’s knockout phase.
The match between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid ended 1-0 in favour of the visitors, but it was the penalty shootout that stole the headlines particularly the decision to disallow Álvarez’s penalty.
During the shootout, Álvarez stepped up to take his kick under enormous pressure. However, after the ball hit the back of the net, the referee called the play back. Following a brief check and consultation, it was ruled that Álvarez had made two contacts with the ball first with his standing foot, which accidentally slipped and nudged the ball, and then with his shooting foot as he struck it. Under FIFA’s Laws of the Game, a player taking a penalty must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player. In this case, the double touch counted as an infringement, and the goal was disallowed.
The reaction was immediate. Several Atlético players protested, and confusion spread among the fans in the stadium and those watching at home. Some saw it as a technical but correct application of the rules, while others felt it was harsh given the lack of clear intent. Replays showed the supposed first touch was incredibly subtle, barely detectable in real-time. Nonetheless, the officials stuck by their decision, and the miss proved costly. Real Madrid went on to win the shootout, sealing their place in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 aggregate result.
Since then, the incident has gone viral. Clips of Álvarez’s penalty have circulated widely on social media, and the debate hasn’t gone away. Almost two weeks later, Álvarez has finally spoken publicly about the incident in an interview with ESPN. His comments suggest that, like many viewers, he remains unsure about what really happened.
“I’ve seen it a thousand times, there are videos everywhere,” Álvarez said. “The truth is, I didn’t feel anything. If there really were two touches, the contact was minimal and very hard to notice. It’s not something I was aware of at all when I hit the ball. But it’s over now. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Álvarez also questioned the application of the rule in a situation like this, where no advantage was gained and the intent was clearly not to deceive or manipulate the result. “I wasn’t trying to gain an advantage. Sometimes you see a goalkeeper come off the line early and the penalty is retaken. But this situation had nothing to do with gaining an edge. It’s a shame what happened.”
He went further, calling for more clarity and common sense in how these rules are enforced. “We’re talking about something extremely minimal. It didn’t change the direction of the ball, it didn’t mislead the goalkeeper, and it wasn’t intentional. Maybe the rule needs to be clearer in cases like this. It’s frustrating to go out of such an important competition because of something like that.”
For Atlético Madrid, the elimination was a tough pill to swallow. They had matched Real Madrid across both legs and took the game to penalties, only to fall short in heartbreaking fashion. For Álvarez, it was a personal blow as well, knowing that his penalty could have helped shift the momentum back in his team’s favour.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, continue their campaign and now prepare for a high-stakes quarter-final clash against Arsenal. The Spanish giants are once again among the favourites to go all the way, but for many, Álvarez’s disallowed penalty will remain one of the defining images of this year’s Round of 16 a reminder of how thin the margins can be at the very top level of football.
