Argentina’s Julian Alvarez breaks silence on controversial Champions League penalty against Real Madrid

Almost two weeks have passed since the controversy surrounding Julian Alvarez‘s penalty against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, but the debate still lingers. Now shining with Argentina, the Atletico Madrid striker has broken his silence and shared his perspective on the situation.

On March 12th, Atletico Madrid hosted the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash against Real Madrid, needing a positive result after a 2-1 defeat in the first leg. Conor Gallagher opened the scoring with a goal in the first minute, giving the home side the advantage.

The series ended 2-2 on aggregate, meaning a penalty shootout was needed to decide the winner. When Alvarez stepped up, he experienced a slight slip but still managed to score. However, VAR was reviewing the action to validate the goal.

Minutes later, VAR concluded its review, and referee Szymon Marciniak disallowed the penalty due to a double touch in the execution. The disallowed penalty, combined with Marcos Llorente’s miss, led to Atletico Madrid‘s elimination from the competition.

What did Julian Alvarez say on the penalty?

Initially, only coach Diego Simeone addressed the controversy, while UEFA released a low-quality video showing the moment the striker allegedly touched the ball twice the following day. After Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Uruguay, Julian Alvarez was asked about the incident and finally broke his silence:

“I’ve seen it a thousand times, there are videos everywhere. The truth is, I don’t feel it because if it were two touches, the contact is minimal, and it’s very hard to perceive, but it’s over now,” said the Argentina international to ESPN Argentina.

“I think the rule should be a bit clearer because I wasn’t trying to gain any advantage, and sometimes the goalkeeper, when saving it, steps forward, and it gets retaken. This is not about gaining any advantage. It’s a shame what happened,” Alvarez explained, criticizing the rule.

Once Alvarez returns from international duty with Argentina, he will refocus on Atletico Madrid’s goals for the rest of the season. With the team now out of the Champions League but still in the La Liga title race and the Copa del Rey semifinals, there’s still a chance for Alvarez to win silverware in his first season in Spain.