Real Madrid won their second Champions League penalty shootout in less than 10 months as they beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in a thrilling tie. The win will now take them to the Emirates Stadium in April, where they will face Arsenal.
During the penalty shootout, Julian Alvarez seemed to touch the ball twice, which made VAR intervene through their semi-automated check, and the penalty was ruled out as it was against the rules.
After the match, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone talked about the incident and was visibly upset about it. Luka Modric, Real Madrid's captain, was asked about what he thought, and it was pretty obvious to the Croatian wizard what had taken place at the Wanda Metropolitano.
He said: "I didn't see it but this is the rule. Many ask me about this but I don't understand why people are surprised. This is the rule. He touched twice. Bad luck for him, good luck for us."
Luka Modric is right, Alvarez's penalty was correctly ruled out
It should not be shocking at all. It may not be obvious, but there is video proof of Alvarez touching the ball with his left foot while taking the shot with his right. It was a bit unlucky for him as he had slipped, but the touch is visible and that makes the penalty illegal.
It is said in the rules that it should be ruled out, and due to the VAR technology, it was found out within seconds what had happened.
Modric, even though he admits to have not seen it at the time, but he claims that it is just by the rule book. Alvarez touching the ball twice - no matter how small or big the touch was - makes the penalty illegal.
Regardless, Real Madrid fans are on cloud nine. It was a much-needed win and they will enjoy yet another win over their city rivals for a few days, before they watch their team prepare for Villarreal away on Saturday.