Julian Alvarez's Penalty Drama In The Champions League Can Trigger Law Of The Game Change

Julian Alvarez was still disappointed that his penalty kick was disallowed when Atletico Madrid lost to Real Madrid (Instagram/@juliaanalvarez).

JAKARTA - UEFA said they would hold discussions with FIFA and IFAB over possible changes to the rules following the appearance of Julian Alvarez's penalty drama which was ruled out in Atletico Madrid's defeat to Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

Real Madrid advanced to the quarter-finals - where they will face Arsenal - thanks to a 4-2 penalty shootout victory after a 2-2 aggregate to a complete extension round at Metropolitano.

The important moment on penalties was Alvarez's penalty kick disallowed after VAR determined that the Atletico forward had made a touch twice - once with each leg - as he slipped before scoring a goal against Thibaut Courtois.

It sparked protests from Atletico, with Manager Diego Simeone insisting that the ball did not move and challenged reporters to the decision in a press conference after the match.

Along with the statement, UEFA released a frame-by-frame recording the day after which it appeared to show "minimal" contact with the ball by Alvarez's feet which became the focus.

"Atletico de Madrid have asked UEFA about the incident, which led to a disallowed shot from the penalty spot taken by Julian Alvarez at the end of the Champions League match against Real Madrid."

"Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his feet before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip."

"Based on current rules (Law of the Game, Law 14.1), VAR had to call the referee who signaled that the goal should be disallowed."

"UEFA will hold discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where the double touch is clearly unintentional," UEFA said.

IFAB is the International Football Association Board, the agency responsible for game law and any proposed changes.

Alvarez's incident caused confusion inside the stadium, with many attending initially unaware that the penalty kick had been disallowed. Then, Atletico protested after the match led by Simeone.

Apart from that, Atletico dominated the match in the second leg for a long time.

They won 1-0 that night thanks to Conor Gallagher's single goal when the game had only been running 27 seconds.

The 1-0 advantage lasted up to two extra rounds which made the aggregate 2-2 so that a penalty shootout had to be done.

It was Los Rojiblancos' first normal time win over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Previously, Atletico had never won against Los Blancos in the Champions League, lost in the 2014 and 2016 finals, and were eliminated in the 2017 semifinals.