The controversy came in the 84th minute at the MHPArena. Grimaldo delivered a corner towards Hancko, who went down after Lorenz Assignon stepped on his foot as the Atlético defender attempted to reach the ball.
Neither referee Serdar Gözübüyük nor the video assistant referee intervened, leaving Atlético frustrated after they had fought back to earn a point and then spent part of the second half with ten men.
“There was a clear penalty, and I don’t understand why VAR intervenes in some situations and not in others,” Grimaldo said after the match. “It’s something I can’t understand, but I think everyone watching on television could see it.”
The Atletico Madrid defender was particularly unhappy because he had a direct view of the incident from the corner flag.
“I’m the one who takes the corner. He gets stepped on and goes to ground. I don’t think they even stopped to look at it. We don’t understand why they didn’t review it. We need them to give explanations and tell us why they intervene sometimes and not others.”
The incident drew criticism from former referee Mateu Lahoz, who analysed the footage on Movistar. He believed the contact warranted both a penalty and a yellow card for the defender responsible.
“It’s a very clear penalty and a yellow card for reckless conduct,” Lahoz said. “If the referee misses it, which is understandable, VAR has the images and should invite him to the monitor.”
Atlético had already endured a difficult evening in Germany. Jamie Leweling put VfB Stuttgart ahead in the first half, before Julián Álvarez equalised shortly after the restart. Morten Hjulmand was then sent off in the 64th minute, forcing Diego Simeone’s side to defend with a numerical disadvantage.
The draw left Atlético with a point from a match in which they had struggled during the opening period but improved after half-time.
The late appeal nevertheless became a major talking point after the final whistle, with Grimaldo questioning whether similar incidents were being judged consistently. The club left Stuttgart with a point, but without the penalty decision that might have offered them an opportunity to take all three.