UEFA has released an official statement addressing the controversial penalty decision that went against Atletico Madrid in Wednesday night's Champions League match.

The Champions League last-16 tie was decided via a penalty shootout after the two legs ended 2-2 on aggregate following 210 minutes of play.

The key moment occurred during the fourth penalty kick, taken by Julian Alvarez. With the score at 2-1 in Real Madrid’s favor, Alvarez slipped as he struck the ball. Initially, it appeared he had scored, as the ball flew into the roof of the net.

However, a review by the VAR official revealed that Alvarez made contact with the ball using his standing leg before striking it with his kicking foot, resulting in a double touch. This contravenes penalty rules, leading to the goal being disallowed.

Instead of leveling the score at 2-2, the decision reverted the score to 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid. Fede Valverde subsequently converted his penalty, sealing the shootout at 3-1 for Real Madrid.

In a statement released today, UEFA clarified why the penalty was disallowed and indicated plans to review the rule with FIFA and IFAB.

The statement read: “Atlético de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid.

“Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip. Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signaling that the goal should be disallowed.

“UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.”