Real Madrid kept their Champions League dreams alive with a tense 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Atletico Madrid, sealing a quarter-final clash with Arsenal.
The win ended Atletico’s 18-match unbeaten home run in UCL knockout games, but the match was marred by controversy over Julian Alvarez’s disallowed penalty.
Atletico struck early, wiping out Real’s aggregate lead within 27 seconds as Conor Gallagher turned in Rodrigo De Paul’s cross for the fastest UCL goal in the club’s history.
Diego Simeone’s side controlled the tempo, with Julian Alvarez testing Thibaut Courtois on multiple occasions.
Real struggled for rhythm until Kylian Mbappe won a penalty after being pulled back by Clement Lenglet, only for Vinicius Junior to fire it high and wide.
With the game stretching into extra time, Angel Correa and Alexander Sorloth both squandered golden chances to win it for Atletico, setting up a dramatic penalty shootout.
The key flashpoint came when Alvarez slipped while taking his spot-kick, and VAR ruled that he had made a double contact, nullifying his goal. The decision sparked outrage from Simeone, who questioned its validity:
“The referee said he touched it twice, but the ball didn’t move. Has anyone seen a clear replay? Nobody has raised their hand,” he said post-match.
Thibaut Courtois, however, believed the decision was fair:
“I felt he touched it twice, and I told the referee. It’s unlucky for them, but those are the rules.”
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti also backed the call, though he admitted his side’s performance was below their usual standard:
“We made things difficult for ourselves with sloppy mistakes. If they had gone 2-0 up, we could have lost control completely. We need to sharpen our focus before facing Arsenal.”
Despite Marcos Llorente missing for Atletico, Antonio Rudiger’s decisive penalty squirmed past Jan Oblak to send Real Madrid through, keeping their quest for a record-extending 16th European Cup alive.
