- Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals
- Carlo Ancelotti’s side edged past Atletico after a controversial penalty shootout
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! With the Premier League likely securing five Champions League spots, are we rewarding mediocrity?
Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final after Los Blancos edged past rivals Atletico Madrid following a nail-biting penalty shootout in the Spanish capital.
Real came into their second leg clash against Atletico up 2-1 on aggregate, but were forced to seal the tie on spot kicks after the Atletico led 1-0 after 120 minutes.
Diego Simeone’s side were controversially denied a goal in the shootout, despite Julian Alvarez finding the back of the net for Atletico’s second penalty.
His shot was ruled a miss because the ball ricocheted off his left foot after he initially kicked it with his right.
As per the FA’s website, one of the rules of football when taking a penalty kick states: ‘The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.’
In a penalty shootout, this rule is altered, as the kick-taker cannot make contact with the ball at all after it initially leaves their boot (as this would allow players to score rebounds).
Arsenal will face Real Madrid in the Champions League last-eight after a controversial shootout
The Madrid derby ended 1-0 to Atletico after 120 minutes, but Madrid won 4-2 on penalties
Julian Alvarez’s penalty was ruled a miss, despite him scoring, as he touched the ball twice
And, since Alvarez made a second contact with the ball, it was determined that he encroached on the aforementioned rule.
The decision was made with swiftness, due to the help of the semi-automated VAR technology that is in use for Champions League games.
Part of the technological advancements in Europe include the addition of an impact sensor in the ball, meaning every touch can be detected.
Therefore, the decision determining that Alvarez made contact with the ball twice was not an verdict of the referee’s naked eye, but an infallible one made by the advanced technology.
Connor Gallagher struck early for the hosts, scoring after just 27 seconds. Real had a chance to equalise through Vinicius Junior in the second half, but the Brazilian fluffed his lines and missed his spot kick.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up did not step up to take one in the shootout. Instead, it was Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Antonio Rudiger getting the job done for Madrid.
Lucas Vazquez missed, but with Alvarez’s illegal kick and Marcos Llorente also failing to find the back of the net with his penalty, Atletico were only able to score two compared to Real’s four.
The Gunners eased into the last eight after a 9-3 win over PSV Eindhoven on aggregate; the tie was virtually sealed after Mikel Arteta’s side claimed a 7-1 victory in the Netherlands last week.
Alvarez’s penalty was quickly ruled out after the VAR was helped by impact sensors in the ball
Arsenal eased into the quarter-finals after beating PSV 9-3 on aggregate over their two legs
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals, Barcelona will face Borussia Dortmund, PSG match up against Aston Vlla, and Bayern Munich are up against Inter Milan.
The first legs of the last eight fixtures will take place on April 8/9, while the next legs will be a week later on April 15/16.
The winner of Arsenal against Real will face either PSG or Villa in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are on the other end of the bracket, along with Bayern, Dortmund and Inter, meaning a sensational El Clasico is on the cards for the Champions League final.
