The contentious goal scored by Japan against Spain: Why did VAR allow it, and how did fans react?
As Japan beat Spain on Friday to stay at the top of Group E, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar became even more heated.
Germany has eliminated from the World Cup as well thanks to Japan’s victory; Germany defeated Costa Rica 4-2 on the same day, but they were behind Spain in goal difference.
Meanwhile, a significant controversy surrounded the Japan-Spain match, causing outrage on social media. The goal that finally secured Japan’s much-needed victory, scored by Blue Samurai’s Ao Tanaka, sparked controversy.
The first goal scored by Spain in the first 12 minutes was impressive. During the first half, they continued to attack, but Japan’s Ritsu Doan scored an equalizer in the 48th minute. The match was close, but the stadium was filled with tension.
Ao Tanaka’s second goal for Japan gave the team the much-needed lead, but Spanish fans were furious because they said Tanaka took the shot when the ball was already out of play.
What the VAR findings said:
The on-ground referees went to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) when the goal became disputed. After repeatedly observing the shot, the VAR decided to keep the goal standing. Despite suggestions from those who used social media to the contrary, the officials awarded the goal because they believed the ball was still in play.
On social media, football fans expressed their disapproval of the decision in thousands of posts.
Some even attempted to demonstrate that the ball looks out from one camera angle and on the line from another, making the FIFA management appear to be biased against the Spanish team.
In addition, users of social media noted that goalkeepers frequently take shots outside of the bound areas, which is considered normal in football.
Japan is now at the top of Group E and will play Croatia, the last team to finish second in FIFA, in their next match. Spain will play Morocco in the knockout round after collecting four points from three matches. Germany whose focuses were like Spain is currently taken out because of the objective contrast.
While Spain has an objective contrast of 6, Germany has only 1.