Álvarez and the controversial penalty: “I’ve seen it a thousand times…”
Atlético Madrid’s Argentine forward revisits disallowed play in Champions League shoot-out against Real Madrid
Julián Álvarez spoke for the first time in public about the disallowed penalty in the shoot-out against Real Madrid , in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League , which ended up precipitating Atlético Madrid ‘s elimination , with the refereeing team spotting two touches of the ball and disallowing the shot, which had been accurate.
“I’ve seen the play a thousand times. There are videos everywhere. I can’t feel the ball. If it were two touches, the contact would be minimal and it would be very difficult to understand. But… it’s over now,” he said in the mixed zone after Uruguay-Argentina (0-1), a qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.
As UEFA has already acknowledged, the forward has called for changes in the way this type of incident is assessed: “The rules should be a little clearer, because I don’t try to take advantage. For example, when a goalkeeper steps forward and saves a penalty, it’s a repeated gesture. And this isn’t to take any advantage. It’s a shame what happened.”
The day after the game, and given the controversy, UEFA was forced to issue a clarification. It stressed that the Atlético forward touched the ball with his supporting foot before kicking it, but it nevertheless admitted to reviewing the rule in cases where the double touch is not intentional.
