Atletico Madrid Crash Out of Champions League After Controversial Penalty Decision

Atletico Madrid's Champions League journey came to an end on Wednesday night after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to rivals Real Madrid. The match ended 2-2 on aggregate, with Real emerging victorious 4-2 in the shootout.

The turning point of the shootout came when Julian Alvarez's penalty was ruled out by the VAR. Replays showed that Alvarez's left foot touched the ball slightly before he kicked it with his right, which is not permitted under the rules. This decision left Atletico coach Diego Simeone fuming.

"I've never seen the VAR called to review a penalty in a shootout... Never!" Simeone said in a post-match press conference. "Did you see him touching the ball twice? Please whoever was present in the stadium and saw him touching the ball twice, the ball moving, please come forward and raise your hand! I don't see anybody with their hand raised so that's all I have to say... next question."

Despite the defeat, Simeone expressed pride in his players' performance and their fighting spirit. He also acknowledged the upcoming challenge of facing Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday.

"We'll see if this defeat will cost us moving forward, the way we went out it's not easy to digest," Simeone said. "We have a great opponent on Sunday. I'm sure Barça wanted us to go to extra time. We will get to the game tired, beaten after we competed the way we had to compete tonight, but we'll give it everything we've got on Sunday."

The La Liga title race remains incredibly tight, with only one point separating the top three teams. Barcelona currently lead the pack on 57 points, with Real Madrid in second on goal difference and Atletico Madrid in third on 56 points. Barcelona also have a game in hand over both of their rivals.