Courtois y Julián Álvarez.
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Courtois Reveals Why Julián Álvarez's Penalty Was Reviewed: 'I Warned the Referee'

Real Madrid's Belgian Goalkeeper Spoke About What Happened in Julián Álvarez's Penalty

Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappé were the Real Madrid players who most insisted in protesting to the referees to annul Julián Álvarez's penalty. Although the television images do show that the Argentine touched the ball twice, both Madrid players seemed to identify the key moment.

"I felt he touched it twice and I told the referee", explained Thibaut Courtois after Real Madrid's advance to the quarter-finals.

"It's not easy to see, and it was bad luck for them. Then, I had bad luck with Correa's, which I couldn't stop. We didn't play our best game, but the important thing is that we've advanced", assured the Real Madrid goalkeeper.

A group of players in white uniforms runs on the field celebrating during a match.
Real Madrid ended up winning in the penalty shootout. | Real Madrid Confidencial

Kylian Mbappé Also Warned the Referee

Kylian Mbappé was key in the decision. Italian television images showed a fixed camera on the Frenchman. At that moment, the Frenchman can be seen running toward the referee immediately after Julián scored.

Subsequently, the VAR intervened and annulled the penalty. Although UEFA has not yet explained how the decision was made, everything seems to indicate that it was the offside technology that annulled the goal.

Courtois's Strong Response to Simeone

Additionally, Thibaut Courtois, during his talk with the media, took a jab at Simeone for what happened with the penalty.

"I'm always tired of that victimhood, always crying over things like that. The referees don't want to favor a team either in Spain or in Europe, they've seen it clearly and called it that way. They are human and with technology, they've seen it clearly", he commented.

Finally, the Belgian left a piece of advice for the Atlético de Madrid coach. "If you're winning 1-0 in the first minute and don't look for the second, that's where their game's mistake is", he explained.

"In the end, it's a lottery, I felt he touched it twice and I told the referee. (...) Then it was bad luck for me with Correa's that I couldn't save. We didn't play our best game but we've advanced and that's what's important", concluded the Belgian.

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