UEFA has rejected Valencia's protest over Tuesday's controversial UEFA Youth League penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea.
After a tense match at Cobham had finished 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes, Valencia players, coaches and officials were left incensed by referee Adrien Jaccottet's decision to rule Alberto Gil's penalty a miss, despite replays showing the ball crossed the line before striking a stanchion and bouncing out.
Jaccottet and his assistant believed the ball had struck the post and despite furious Valencia pleas for him to watch TV footage of the incident, the Swiss referee refused and Chelsea went on to win the shootout 5-3.
VCF JUVENIL | @UEFAYouthLeague
Vídeo del penalti no concedido por el colegiado:https://t.co/y15kqg2Aqt- Valencia CF (@valenciacf) February 23, 2016
Valencia first-team coach Gary Neville took to social media to call the situation "scandalous" and the club lodged an official protest soon afterwards, seeking a replay of the shootout or even the entire match.
But UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has upheld the result and Chelsea will now face Ajax in the UEFA Youth League quarterfinals next month.
"The club regrets the decision taken by UEFA," a statement on Valencia's official website read. "We want to encourage our young players to stay motivated and continue to believe in fair play."
Elsewhere in the tournament, UEFA has disqualified Dinamo Zagreb for fielding suspended player Matija Fintic during the closing stages of a 2-0 win over Anderlecht.
Anderlecht have been reinstated and will take on Barcelona in the last eight, with the winner set to face Chelsea or Ajax in the semifinals.