Last night, Real Madrid won 2-1 against Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the 1/8th final of the Champions League. A match marked by controversy.
On Tuesday night, Real Madrid stepped into the ring to face Atlético de Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg. After a first leg where the two teams traded blows, it was ultimately the Merengues who won this fight 2-1. Indeed, the Spanish champions opened the scoring quickly thanks to the infernal Rodrygo. Then, the Colchoneros came back with punch in the match and managed to equalize thanks to a sublime goal by Julian Alvaréz. But Brahim Diaz finally scored the winning goal 2-1 for the residents of the Santiago-Bernabéu stadium. A goal that has been the talk of the town on the other side of the Pyrenees since yesterday evening. Indeed, some believe that it should not have been validated by the referees.
A goal that gets people talking
This is the case for several fans, who got carried away as Marca explains. “Many internet users complained that Vinicius was offside for Brahim’s goal that made it 2-1 in the Champions League derby. At the time of the shot, the Brazilian player was right in front of Oblak. They therefore consider that the goal should not have been recorded on the scoreboard because it interfered with the vision of the Atlético de Madrid goalkeeper. In addition, the networks also compared tonight’s goal (yesterday) with the goal that was disallowed last season for Atlético de Madrid against Real Madrid in La Liga. In 2023/24, the red and white team saw a goal disallowed for Savic because Saúl was right in front of the goalkeeper, Lunin.”
But it’s not just the internet users who are offended. Radio Marca refereeing analyst Pavel Fernandez is also of the same opinion: “There is a positional offside on Brahim’s goal. It’s positional, but Vinicius is offside on the line of fire and a meter and a half from Oblak. The Atlético goalkeeper doesn’t see the shot because the Brazilian is in front. I have no doubt. It’s not the referee’s fault, the problem is that VAR doesn’t warn him.” Present on the same show, David Medina added: “It’s obvious that Vinicius is in the path of the ball and, unless the rule has changed, it’s called offside. There’s a very similar offside by Savic that was flagged several seasons ago.”
Opinions differ
Other Radio Marca consultants, however, do not agree, such as Miguel Ángel Méndez: “For me, Vinicius watches the game and does not interfere. At no time does he cover Oblak’s vision.” The same goes for Enrique Marqués: “Turpin is the best referee in the world. In Spain, that’s how it is, refereeing with photos. In the video image, it is clear that there is nothing. Simeone did not say anything, no one at Atleti complained.” Others do it for themselves. In Catalonia, Mundo Deportivo mentioned this controversy. “The situation of the Brazilian, in the Atlético goalkeeper’s line of sight, could have been considered interference in the game and the goal could have been disallowed.”
MD continues: “At least, that’s how some understand it, even some former referees. In fact, Oblak seems to react late because he was covered. Others understand that it is not enough to consider that the Brazilian’s situation has an influence. The rule also specifies that “the distance between the player in an offside position and the goalkeeper or defender will be assessed”. It is understood that neither Clément Turpin nor the VAR understood that it was a position close enough for there to be an infraction.” Speaking to Cadena SER, Iturralde González, a former referee, was clear: “the interference can only be physical or visual. It cannot be physical because Vinicius is several meters away. You have to be very careful with still photos because Vinicius goes to the other side where the ball comes from. If you take a picture later, Oblak already sees the ball coming out of Brahim’s boot.” For its part, Atlético has not reacted to these controversies.
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