“Shameless Robbery”: Barcelona X Page Blasts Real Madrid’s UCL Qualification

• A VAR-disallowed penalty from Atletico's Julian Alvarez sparked widespread discussions on social media
• Famous unofficial Barcelona X account called it "one of the most shameless robberies in football history''
• Real Madrid will now face Arsenal in the quarter-finals stage as they aim for a record-extending 16th UCL title

Real Madrid's dramatic passage to the next round of the UEFA Champions League has been met with intense controversy.

On Wednesday night, after a gripping 120 minutes of football in which Atletico Madrid managed to edge out a 1-0 victory thanks to an early goal by Conor Gallagher, the match was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout as Vinicius Jr missed a 70th-minute penalty after Kylian Mbappe, who is one of he players with the most non-penalty goals this season in Europe, was fouled in the area.

Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid won 4-2 on penalties, securing qualification to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League, but not without provoking a wave of outrage, especially from their archrivals, FC Barcelona supporters.

Read also

Thierry Henry sends simple message to Arsenal ahead of UCL clash with Madrid

The drama reached its peak when a penalty by Atletico's Julian Alvarez was disallowed following a VAR decision that left both Atletico manager Diego Simeone and many football fans baffled.

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid nail-biting extra time

The match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, which was officiated by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak on Wednesday night, was nothing short of intense, with the Julain Alvarez's VAR disallowed penalty dominating the discussion.

Atletico Madrid, with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, needed a win in normal time to force extra time and penalties. They delivered just that, defeating Real Madrid 1-0 in the second leg after 120 minutes.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, had their sights set on securing qualification after a hard-fought first leg. Despite Atletico's dominant performance in the second leg, the aggregate score was tied at 2-2, forcing the game into the nerve-wracking penalty shootout to decide the winner.

Read also

Real Madrid star aims sly dig at critics always 'crying' foul after Alvarez's penalty decision

The Julian Alvarez VAR disallowed penalty

The penalty shootout that followed was packed with emotion and drama, but it was a controversial moment involving Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez that stole the headlines. The player had scored his penalty, making the contest 2-2, only for VAR to step in and rule the goal out.

The reason given was that Alvarez had made two distinct touches of the ball with his two feet during his penalty, a decision that left boss Simeone and many fans scratching their heads.

According to the laws of the game, a player must take a penalty with only one clean touch of the ball, and the VAR review deemed that Alvarez had violated this rule.

The disallowed penalty was seen as an incredibly harsh decision, especially given the tension of the moment and the fact that Alvarez had scored the goal cleanly in real-time. The ruling left Atletico Madrid fans and many neutrals in disbelief, feeling that their team had been unjustly deprived of a crucial opportunity.

Read also

Mbappé Alerts Officials to Álvarez's 'Double Touch' as Real Madrid Edge Atletico

A "shameless robbery"?

The disallowed Julian Alvarez penalty vs Real Madrid was not the only source of contention. Following the match, the independent FC Barcelona X channel, @BarcaUniversal, with over 1.3 million followers, wasted no time in chiming in with their opinion.

Describing the events as "one of the most shameless robberies in football history," the channel's tweet echoed the sentiments of many who felt that Real Madrid's progression to the next round was tainted by the controversial VAR decision.

For Real Madrid fans and other lovers of the game, the decision was clearly within the laws of the game. The incident overshadowed what had already been a thrilling encounter between two of Spain's biggest clubs, casting a shadow over Real Madrid's qualification.

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid 1st leg UCL preview

YEN.com.gh earlier reported the news and potential lineups of the Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid first leg encounter that saw Los Blancos win 2-1 at Santiago Berenbeu, with Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz netting for Ancelotti's men.

Source: YEN.com.gh