Kylian Mbappé was at the center of the decision to disallow Julián Alvarez's penalty in Real Madrid's Champions League showdown with Atlético Madrid.
A 2–2 draw on aggregate between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid at the end of extra time forced the rivals to compete in a penalty shootout to determine the team advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals. Real Madrid went on to beat Diego Simeone's men 4–2 on penalties, but not without one controversial moment taking center stage.
Alvarez's successful penalty was later wiped away after VAR determined the Argentine touched the ball with two feet. After the match, footage emerged of Mbappé being the first person on the pitch who caught the infraction.
Mbappe was saying Julian Alvarez touched the ball twice as soon as he made his pen 👀 pic.twitter.com/YGlnglFIcK
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 13, 2025
Mbappé immediately held up two fingers and alerted the fourth official that Alvarez touched the ball twice. After a VAR review, Alvarez's attempt was disallowed, giving Real Madrid the advantage in the shootout.
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Despite plenty of talk after the match surrounding the decision, UEFA released a statement confirming their decision: "Atlético Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid."
“Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip. Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signaling that the goal should be disallowed."
Álvarez's penalty is overturned by VAR after a double touch 😳
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2025
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The error by Alvarez helped Real Madrid maintain their perfect streak against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League; Los Blancos have never been eliminated by their La Liga rivals in the knockout stage.
Real Madrid must now shift their focus to the quarterfinals, where they are facing Premier League side Arsenal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kylian Mbappe Was First to Call Out Julian Alvarez's Penalty in Champions League Round of 16.
