A slip, a double touch, and a missed penalty — that’s all it took for Atletico Madrid to endure yet another devastating Champions League defeat at the hands of their fiercest rivals, Real Madrid. The night, which began with hope and determination, ended in heartbreak, leaving Atletico once again pondering what might have been.
Julian Alvarez’s ill-fated penalty in the shootout became the defining, cruel twist of the match. As he stepped up to take his shot, the Argentine striker seemed calm and composed. He struck the ball cleanly, but his left foot slipped at the crucial moment, accidentally making a second, unintended touch on the ball. The shot still found the net, momentarily sparking celebrations from the Atletico fans, who believed their team had clawed back to level the shootout at 2-2.
However, Real Madrid’s players immediately swarmed the referee, pointing out the double touch. Thibaut Courtois, Madrid’s ever-reliable goalkeeper, was the first to spot it. “I felt that he touched the ball twice, and I told the referee,” Courtois said. “It’s not easy to see that. It was a bit of bad luck for them there.”
Initially, the referee let the goal stand, seemingly unaware of the infraction. But then came the dreaded VAR review. After a brief but intense pause — during which Atletico’s fans watched anxiously, hoping for a reprieve — the decision came down. The goal was disallowed. The stadium erupted, half in joyous relief from the Madrid supporters, and half in stunned disbelief from the Atletico faithful. The momentum swung firmly in Real Madrid’s favor.
Madrid capitalized on the emotional shift, pulling ahead and eventually sealing the shootout 4-2. The victory secured their spot in the quarterfinals, keeping their quest for yet another Champions League title alive. For Atletico, it was another painful chapter in a book already filled with heartbreak and near-misses.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted he didn’t notice the double touch in real-time but saw it clearly on the replay. “It seemed that there was a second touch with his left foot,” he confirmed.
On the other side, Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone, usually an unwavering pillar of confidence and intensity, admitted he didn’t catch it either but remained diplomatic about the decision. “I want to believe that if the VAR intervened, it’s because it saw something,” he said. But the anguish was evident in his voice, even as he tried to stay composed.
The double touch itself was difficult to decipher, even in slow-motion replays. Alvarez’s slipping left foot appeared to graze the ball unintentionally, but that slight touch was enough to trigger the rulebook. According to the laws of the game, a penalty taker “must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.” If this happens during open play, it results in an indirect free kick for the opposing team. In a penalty shootout, the consequence is even harsher — the goal is simply wiped off the scoreboard.
It was a brutal twist of fate for Atletico, especially given how hard they had fought to even reach the shootout. The match had started with a bang — Conor Gallagher, Atletico’s dynamic midfielder, stunned the Bernabeu crowd with a goal less than 30 seconds into the match. The early strike gave Atletico a 1-0 lead, which, combined with Madrid’s narrow 2-1 victory in the first leg, leveled the tie at 2-2 on aggregate after extra time.
For Atletico fans, it felt like maybe, just maybe, this time would be different. But fate, as it so often does when these two rivals meet in Europe’s biggest competition, had other plans.
This latest defeat marked the fifth consecutive time Atletico has been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid — an excruciating streak that began with their soul-crushing losses in the 2014 and 2016 finals. Both of those ended in heartbreak — the first after Sergio Ramos’s infamous last-minute equalizer, the second in a penalty shootout that Madrid won. More eliminations followed in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals. Each defeat stung worse than the last, with Atletico growing ever closer but never quite able to overcome their city rivals.
“It hurts,” admitted Atletico’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who put in a valiant performance despite the outcome. His voice was low, his expression somber. “We played a great match but unfortunately, we were a bit unlucky. It’s a shame. It hurts a lot.”
Still, Simeone refused to let his team wallow in despair. His words, though filled with emotion, carried a message of pride and resilience — a reminder that Atletico’s spirit remains unbroken. “I wouldn’t talk about luck,” he said, his voice steady. “I would talk about feeling proud of the team that we have and about how we always compete. Madrid has always beaten us in the Champions League, but they have always suffered. I'm sure they’ll always remember that.”
For all their suffering, Atletico Madrid remains a team defined by grit, passion, and an unshakable belief that their moment will come. This was not their night — but as long as Simeone stands on the touchline and the Wanda Metropolitano roars with defiant hope, the belief remains. One day, Atletico will have their revenge.
