Japan’s second goal against Spain has sparked debate and controversy after it was allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR check.
The goal was initially disallowed after the referee adjudged the ball had crossed the touch-line before Kaoru Mitoma crossed it to Ao Tanaka, who scored from a close range.
TV camera angles also gave the perception the ball was out of play.
But after a VAR review, Japan got the goal that won the match and ultimately knocked Germany out of the competition.
It was initially difficult to determine how VAR reached the conclusion but a new camera angle that offered a bird’s eye view has emerged.
The angle shows that the whole ball hadn’t actually gone out and part of it was still overhanging the line when Mitoma delivered his cross.
According to IFAB, who set the laws of the game, the ball is out when “it has wholly passed over the goal line or touchline on the ground or in the air”.
And thus, the bird's eye view is the important angle of the Japan goal.
Here it is.
Ball is in, it seems — barely, by millimeters. pic.twitter.com/pgm9ZURD16
— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) December 1, 2022
