"The rule has to be a little clearer" - Julian Alvarez asks for rule change after penalty decision in Atletico loss to Real Madrid in UCL 

Julian Alvarez believes the law, which ruled out his penalty in the shoot-out of the Champions League last-16 tie between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, should be made clearer.

Atletico Madrid hosted their cross-town rivals on March 12 for the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie after a 2-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu. A 1-0 win by Diego Simeone’s men at the Metropolitano Stadium after 120 minutes meant the clash progressed to penalties.

Real Madrid began the shoot-out and the first three penalties were successfully converted. Julian Alvarez stepped up for his side’s second and found the back of the net, but he slipped while taking his spot kick.

The penalty kick was reviewed by VAR a few seconds later, and it was disallowed due to a double touch in the execution. The decision proved decisive as the ruled-out penalty, combined with Marcos Llorente’s miss, saw Real Madrid progress to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 victory.

Of course, Alvarez’s disallowed penalty caused a frenzy in the football community, with many suggesting that the striker should have been allowed to retake his penalty.

The player himself has now broken silence on the controversial decision. He insisted he did not feel the ball touch his standing foot as he took his penalty and suggested the rules governing such incidents should be reviewed.

Julian Alvarez told ESPN Argentina after La Albiceleste’s 1-0 win against Uruguay in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. He said (via GOAL):

"I saw it a thousand times, there are videos everywhere. The truth is that I don't feel it, because if there were two touches, the contact is minimal and it is very difficult to perceive."

"I think the rule has to be a little clearer because I don't try to take any advantage and, out there, the goalkeeper when he saves it is repeated when he goes forward. This is not to take any advantage. It's a shame what happened."

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak says referee decision ''must be respected'' after Julian Alvarez’s disallowed penalty against Real Madrid

When asked about the controversial decision in their Round of 16 tie, Los Rojiblancos shot-stopper Jan Oblak took a diplomatic stance.

Instead of giving a direct answer about the decision's veracity, Oblak said the referee Szymon Marciniak must be respected and expressed how painful it was to exit the competition.

Speaking after the game, Oblak said (via Sky Sports):

"The decisions of the referee must be respected. I haven't seen it but it's probably true."

"It's such a pity anyway because [Thibaut] Courtois has gone to the opposite side and the ball would have gone in anyway, but this is football and this is how unlucky we've been."

Real Madrid will face Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Champions League while Atletico Madrid are still alive in the LaLiga title race and have reached the Copa del Rey semifinals.

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