How 3 dubious decisions proved UEFA desperately needs video replay
Football can be a cruel game.
When a leg up on progression to the semi-finals and a last-eight Champions League exit is separated by the narrowest of margins, a momentary lapse of judgment can define a season.
That's precisely what happened Wednesday during a trio of quarter-final first-legs, when three incidents deemed to be penalties highlighted the dire need for video replay technology.
With Video Assistant Referee (VAR) slowly seeping its way into preseason competition and international friendlies, it's time the implementation of an extra official pitchside, with a tablet in hand, be instituted for Europe's top-tier tournament.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin doesn't necessarily agree.
"For me and UEFA, it's just an experiment at the moment," Ceferin told Marca in December.
"It's not very clear and we don't know when we'll use it. Let's see what happens in the future, but it's not in our plans to use it."
In hopes that UEFA will implement video replay for next season's Champions League, here's a glance at three incidents Wednesday when it could have been employed:
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Monaco
With the score knotted at doughnuts and a shade more than 15 minutes played at the Westfalenstadion, Monaco teen talent Kylian Mbappe was adjudged to have been brought down by Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis just inside the area.
A still image of the incident appears to confirm the Greece international's hands-on approach to defending.
Video footage confirms otherwise, with referee Daniele Orsato calling a soft penalty for the principality side. Luckily for the Dortmund and Orsato, Fabinho had a shocker, missing his first penalty in 16 attempts. Ball don't lie.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Leicester City
Atletico Madrid has never lost at home to English competition.
Thanks to Antoine Griezmann's 28th-minute penalty, Los Rojiblancos preserved that record of perfection with a one-goal victory over Leicester City at the Vicente Calderon.
Considering that the Foxes did not register a shot on target amid a commanding performance from Diego Simeone's lot, it was a fair result. The penalty, not so much.
Streaking down the left wing against the run of play, Griezmann is intercepted by Marc Albrighton on the edge of the area, where the French international's right foot clips his opponent's calf.
No more than five yards behind the play, an unobstructed Jonas Eriksson blows his whistle and motions at the spot despite the foul taking place just outside the area.
The video confirms as much, as Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater's protests fall on deaf ears. 1-0. Match sorted.
Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid
Moments before the half with Bayern Munich, the better side boasting a deserved 1-0 lead, Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal was called for a handball in the area at the Allianz Arena.
Carvajal very clearly parries Franck Ribery's shot away with his shoulder, though after conferring with the fourth official, referee Nicola Rizzoli sees it differently and calls Real for the foul.
Poised to take a commanding two-goal lead into the interval, Bayern's hopes were dashed courtesy of a celestial effort from Arturo Vidal.