March 13 – Real Madrid defeated crosstown rivals Atlético 4-2 in a penalty shootout – including a bizarre, disallowed spot kick from Julián Alvarez – to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League after the scores had finished level at 2-2 on aggregate.
Once again Real found a way to progress and once again it was by the narrowest of margins. The defending champions march on to the last eight after 210 minutes, including extra time, failed to separate the Madrid duo over the two legs. Ultimately, the penalty shootout did. Los Blancos know like no other how to squeeze past an opponent.
It was the cruellest way of losing for Atlético and their manager, Diego Simeone, and the sixth time that they were eliminated by their local rivals from Europe’s premier club competition.
When Alvarez stepped up in the shootout, he converted his penalty but slipped as he struck the ball, which hit his left foot on the way into the net. Immediate replays did not offer conclusive evidence that Alvarez had touched the ball twice, but the VAR ruled that the spot kick violated IFAB’s law 10 stating that “the kicker may not play the ball a second time.”
To add to the drama, Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak then saved Lucas Vázquez’s attempt, before Atlético defender Marcos Llorente missed his penalty. However, Antonio Rüdiger made no mistake to send Real through to the next round.
Penalties had been a theme all night, as Brazilian star Vinicius Junior failed to convert a spot kick in regular time, after Conor Gallagher had scored the only goal of the second leg with one of the first touches of the match.
What followed was a brilliant box-to-box spectacle as the hosts dominated, but in the end they were not able to shed their inferiority complex.
After the elimination Simeone was livid. He said: “Have you seen it? What did you see? Did he touch it [twice]? Don’t be afraid. Did you see it? What did they see? Did he touch it? Don’t be afraid. Did anyone here see that Julián touched it twice? Raise your hand. Next question.”
It was a sub-par performance from Real, but the reigning champions have been rewarded with a mouth-watering tie against Arsenal in the last eight.
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