MADRID — In their recent Champions League match, Atletico Madrid faced a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Lille, which left coach Diego Simeone and his squad bewildered over a crucial penalty decision.

The pivotal moment came in the 74th minute when Jonathan David netted a penalty that allowed Lille to take a 2-1 advantage. This goal played a significant role in Lille securing their victory at the Metropolitano stadium.

Atletico players were vocal about their confusion regarding the penalty, which they felt was incorrectly awarded by Italian referee Marco Guida. The incident occurred following a scramble for a loose ball in the penalty area, with players claiming that Koke Resurrección was wrongly penalized for handball.

However, upon reviewing the footage, it appeared that Koke’s hands or arms did not make contact with the ball; instead, it seemed possible that a Lille player may have touched it. The decision took some time to confirm, and notably, Guida did not utilize the pitchside monitors to review the incident himself.

Instead, he took a moment to show Simeone a yellow card for his protests regarding the decision. Simeone firmly stated, “It wasn’t a penalty. We’ve been watching the replays, and it seems the referee made an error in his observation, and those in VAR were unable to assist him.”

This loss marked the second time Atletico has fallen short in three matches in this season’s Champions League, raising questions about their performance and decisions in critical moments.