Madrid breaks Atlético's heart in controversial penalties

BarcelonaAtlético de Madrid continues to hit a wall called Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti's team defeated Simeone's followers in a tie decided on penalties, after the home side's narrow victory. The penalty shootout was chaotic, as VAR ruled out a goal by Julián, who slipped and touched the ball twice. The action was far from clear. Many in the stadium didn't understand why the goal wasn't allowed, but Courtois had protested, and VAR ruled that there had been a double touch. However, no television image confirmed this 100%. Then Marcos Llorente also missed his penalty, allowing Rüdiger to put Real Madrid through to the quarterfinals, where they will face Arsenal. Atlético missed another opportunity to eliminate a Real Madrid side that continues to do its thing in the Champions League. They always end up winning, even if they don't play well.

The atmosphere was one of those special nights, ones that are remembered over time. However, outside the Metropolitano, the spectacle wasn't very gratifying, with a ton of flares to welcome both teams and fights between fans. Atlético knew they had a unique opportunity to finally eliminate their neighbors from the Champions League. And they came onto the pitch with such drive that 30 seconds into the match, Gallagher scored what would be the second-earliest goal in the history of Madrid derbies. A play in which Madrid, sleepy, chased shadows during the 30 seconds it took the home team to score.

Atlético, with the tie level, lost possession, attacking with counterattacks in which Julián tested Courtois several times. Madrid, on the other hand, enjoyed long possessions but couldn't find Mbappé, who ultimately started. Vinícius fought with everyone, and Rodrygo tested him with soft shots. The first half had been played just as Simeone likes it, but the tie was barely even. After the physical battle of the first half, the pace slowed down somewhat in the second half, until with 25 minutes left, Atlético failed to block a Madrid counterattack and left Mbappé alone against Lenglet. The former Barça player would give away a clear penalty, but just as Madrid looked level, Vinícius sent the ball wide. It was his first penalty missed in a Madrid shirt.

The match was already a toss-up, with either heads or tails. The derby went into extra time with Madrid getting stronger, closing down an Atlético side that was giving up on attacking, as if ready for penalties, even though they had never eliminated Real Madrid in a shootout. Out of five contested, five lost. And in the end, there were six. A strange penalty shootout, since few people in the stadium understood that the second penalty, scored by Julián, was not valid because the Argentine had slipped and touched the ball twice. Then, Oblak saved a penalty from Lucas that seemed to level the score, but Marcos Llorente missed his own. Rüdiger would be responsible for scoring the final penalty, with Oblak swallowing the ball. Real Madrid smiled again in the Champions League against Atlético. An old story with a cruel new script for the Colchoneros, who saw Vinicius end up celebrating the victory by causing trouble on the pitch. A cruel ending, like the two final losses against Real Madrid. An ending in which VAR decided a penalty shootout that has become part of the history of this rivalry.