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Real Madrid continued their dominance over Atlético Madrid in penalty shootouts, securing yet another victory in their long-standing rivalry. The latest triumph came in the last 16 of the Champions League, leaving Diego Simeone's side particularly frustrated.
Atlético had started the match strongly, with Conor Gallagher equalizing the tie at 2-2 on aggregate just 27 seconds in. However, neither team could find a breakthrough during normal or extra time, forcing the game into penalties for the sixth time in their knockout encounters. In a dramatic and controversial shootout, Real Madrid emerged victorious with a 4-2 win, clinched by Antonio Rüdiger's decisive strike past Jan Oblak.
The match took a bizarre turn when Julián Álvarez's penalty was disallowed after he slipped and accidentally made contact with the ball twice, a violation of Article 14.1 of the IFAB laws, which state that a penalty taker cannot touch the ball again until it has been played by another player. Initially, the scoreboard incorrectly displayed 2-2, causing confusion in the stadium, but in reality, Real led 3-1 at that point. Despite Oblak's save against Lucas Vázquez, Atlético's hopes faded when Marcos Llorente hit the bar, allowing Rüdiger to seal Real's victory.
Simeone expressed skepticism about the decision, questioning whether Álvarez had truly made a double touch, while Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted the right call had been made. Courtois acknowledged the misfortune for Atlético but emphasized that rules are rules.
Similar incidents have occurred in football, such as Riyad Mahrez's disallowed penalty for Leicester in 2017 and Aleksandar Mitrović's for Fulham in 2023, both for the same offence. However, in the Scottish Premiership, a similar goal by Bojan Miovski was controversially allowed. Meanwhile, the match saw other dramatic moments, including Kylian Mbappé struggling with an injury and declining to take a penalty during normal time, leaving the responsibility to Vinícius Jr., who missed.
The chaotic shootout ended with Ancelotti deciding against letting young Endrick take the final spot-kick, instead trusting Rüdiger, who delivered the winning goal. Oblak later admitted he saw it too late to react, marking yet another painful defeat for Atlético in a derby shootout.
