Did UEFA alter Julian Alvarez's penalty footage against Real? Video editing expert conducts analysis

A week after Atletico Madrid's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real, the controversy surrounding Julian Alvarez's disallowed penalty remains a hot topic. The referee and VAR's decision to rule out his goal against Real Madrid due to an alleged double touch has been widely debated by experts and fans.

Details. The Spanish publication El Desmarque published an analysis by video editing specialist Alex Soler, who examined the UEFA penalty footage frame by frame. According to his research:

• The shadow of the ball and the player's movements do not align, suggesting that the perspective shown in the footage might be deceptive.
• The perceived deviation of the ball could be an optical illusion caused by Alvarez's movement, rather than an actual double touch.

Due to the lack of clarity, Atletico has officially requested explanations from UEFA, asserting that rule 14.1 might have been misapplied. The club claims that the ball is considered in play as soon as a clear strike is made and it moves forward, leaving doubts as to whether Alvarez truly made two touches or if the play was misinterpreted during the VAR review.

One of the main concerns was how swiftly the referee made the decision. While most controversial decisions undergo lengthy VAR checks, here the decision was made in less than a minute, raising suspicions among Atletico's supporters.

Reminder. Despite the protests, Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, winning 4-2 after a penalty shootout.