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Why Japan’s winning goal against Spain that eliminated Germany was allowed to stand?
The current World Cup has the largest controversy. A second dubious VAR judgment from Japan’s 2-1 victory over Spain is what eliminated Germany from the World Cup.
In order to win, Hansi Flick’s team needed Spain to triumph, which they were doing in the first half when Japan completely turned the game around. Before Ao Tanaka touched in, Ritsu Doan fired the Samurai Blue level, but it was the second goal that truly caused a stir.
Tanaka’s finish was flawless, but before the ball was passed to him, it appeared as though it had left the field of play. Kaoru Mitoma appeared to have arrived a split second too late, but the goal was upheld following a thorough VAR review.
As no VAR replays or confirmation of the occurrence were shown, the debate grew.
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The fans at the stadium and the watchers at home were both in the dark about what was happening because they had only seen broadcasters’ replays. The ball appeared to be out in every single case.
However, it was obvious that the VAR station’s decision-makers thought they had sufficient information to declare that the entire ball had not crossed the line – a Japan VAR decision if you will.
New images released shows controversial Japan goal vs Spain was RIGHT to stand. pic.twitter.com/RvNo89aUP7
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) December 2, 2022
The ball appears to be hanging over the goal line in freeze frames of the incident, indicating that it is still in play. The rule is comparable to corners, where the ball needs just to linger over the line rather than really being on it.
In due order, additional confirmation from the officials can be anticipated.