Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone questioned the choice to disallow Julián Álvarez‘s essential penalty in Actual Madrid‘s Champions League shootout win over Atlético Madrid, insisting “the ball does not transfer” after VAR determined the ahead had kicked the ball twice.
The round-of-16 tie completed 2-2 on mixture on Wednesday, after Conor Gallagher‘s early objective gave Atlético a 1-0 win on the Metropolitano to power further time.
Within the shootout, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde and Antonio Rüdiger all transformed for Actual. Álvarez’s penalty was dominated out after the VAR deemed that the Argentina worldwide had touched the ball with each ft as he slipped when hanging the ball.
“I’ve simply seen the photographs, the referee says Julián touches the ball together with his supporting leg, however the ball does not transfer,” Simeone mentioned in his postmatch information convention. “That is debatable, whether or not it was a objective or not. However I am pleased with my gamers, I am actually blissful, as a result of we competed in an exemplary method.”
Actual Madrid will now play Arsenal within the quarterfinals, with the primary leg on April 8, and the return on April 16.
Atlético dominated a lot of Wednesday’s recreation, and Simeone mentioned he was “at peace” with the consequence, as a result of “the crew gave the whole lot.”
“When Julián kicks [the penalty], the ball does not even transfer a bit,” Simeone mentioned. “I think about that they referred to as the VAR and noticed that he touched it. I need to imagine that they’re going to have seen that he touched it.”
Simeone then repeatedly challenged journalists within the information convention to “increase your hand” in the event that they thought Álvarez’s penalty ought to have been disallowed.
“I felt that he touched the ball twice and I advised the referee,” Actual goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois mentioned. “It isn’t straightforward to see that. It was a little bit of dangerous luck.”
When advised of Simeone’s feedback, Courtois added: “For UEFA, it is clear. I am sick of this victimhood, all the time crying about issues like this. Referees do not need to profit one crew or one other in Spain or in Europe, for them it was clear. With the expertise, within the VAR room they noticed it clearly, they’ve plenty of cameras and plenty of photos.”
“It appears to be like to me like he touches it together with his left foot,” coach Carlo Ancelotti agreed. “[Penalties] are a lottery, heads or tails. It got here up heads right now. Atlético exit with their heads excessive.”
Ancelotti revealed that he’d deliberate to permit younger ahead Endrick to take the fifth and decisive spot kick, earlier than choosing Rüdiger, who scored.
“We had doubts between Endrick and Rüdiger,” Ancelotti mentioned. “I noticed Endrick’s face, and I believed ‘higher Rüdiger!'”
