Real Madrid’s triumph over Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday was full of twists and turns, but perhaps none were as dramatic as Julian Alvarez’s invalidated penalty kick. Alvarez was second in Atletico’s procession as the match advanced to penalty kicks, with the aggregate score tied at 2-2 after 120 minutes at the Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday. His strike went into the back of the net, seemingly leveling the penalty kick score at 2-2 while Federico Valverde got ready to take Real Madrid’s next spot kick. Before he took it, though, the referee indicated that Alvarez’s penalty was under review but did not pause the shootout, so Valverde took his penalty and scored. Once his strike was tallied, the refereeing crew confirmed that Alvarez’s kick was invalid and so the score was 3-1 in Real Madrid’s favor.
Though it was a mistake that was hard to catch at first, the refereeing crew ruled that Alvarez got two touches on the ball before converting his spot kick, which invalidated the effort altogether. All penalty kicks are reviewed by VAR, but CBS Sports rules analyst Christina Unkel outlined the process and resources referees have available at their disposal these days as the UEFA Champions League Today crew reviewed the call.
“The VAR also has the semi-automated offside technology where they are able to see at that kick point and have that extra technology to say when there is a touch on that ball,” Unkel said. “Every time we have a strike here, we have that ability for that. There’s not a chip in the ball, which is what we saw at the World Cup, but that extra layer of technology gives that additional sequencing so from a VAR perspective, they’re taking a look at not just the video, but as well as the touch point. Semi-automated [offside] has about 26 different cameras looking at limb-tracking technology, as well as the camera that’s on the ball in and of itself, which gives that VAR the ability to be more concise and direct and know when that ball was touched outside from the naked eye.”
What’s the rule?
Law 14.1 of the International Football Association Board, the penalty kick, states that “the ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves.” It goes on to state that the kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.
If this happens in regulation, the team defending the penalty receives a free kick for the double touch.
But as rule 10.3 states, “if the kicker is penalized for an offense committed after the referee has signaled for the kick to be taken, that kick is recorded as missed and the kicker is cautioned.”
Did it work as planned?
Though the refereeing crew was not exactly clear when communicating the review process with the audience in the stadium and watching remotely, it was clear the officials were in contact with each other.
“VAR will then come in onto the referee,” Unkel said. “The referee’s always listening to the VAR and waiting for VAR to say, ‘Check complete,’ before they continue with the next kick so naturally when they say, ‘We’re checking, we’re checking,’ the referee holds play on this so at this point, VAR is not only looking at the video but is also looking to see that sequencing with the semi-automated offside technology to give that confirmation.”
It is unclear if UEFA will share additional information considering the high-profile nature of the game, though Unkel deemed there was nothing incorrect about the decision made by the referring team.
Real Madrid will face Arsenal in the quarterfinals when Champions League play returns in early April. You can watch all the UCL action on Paramount+
