Witnessing VAR Change the Course of World Cup Matches

Qatar VS Ecuador

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WHAT HAPPENED:

Faced with Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb, Ecuador’s Felix Torres headed the ball which landed in Michael Estrada’s play. The ball was eventually played across to Ecuador captain/striker Enner Valencia. Valencia headed the ball into Qatar’s goal after three minutes of brutal defence and proceeded to burst in celebration and cheer for what would have been the fastest goal in a World Cup opener (within 5 minutes). 

VAR DECISION:

All smiles were wiped when the referee ruled the goal out after VAR pointed out a marginal off-side.

ULTIMATELY:

Though Al-Sheeb’s initial intention was to punch the ball, Torres’ attempted assist towards Valencia occurred while Estrada’s foot was closer to the goal than both Al-Sheeb and Qatari player Abdelkarim Hasan Fadlalla. Hence, the VAR’s decision of ruling out Valencia’s goal for offside was indeed valid despite it being unclear to the audience until a 3D visualisation was shown.

Tunisia VS France

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WHAT HAPPENED:

The morning after the head-to-head between Tunisia and France, many French TV viewers awoke to shocking news upon discovering that their national team had lost 1-0 to Tunisia, despite seeing Antoine Griezmann equalise the game to 1-1 in the 98th minute the night before. 

This was due to broadcaster TF1 cutting to an advert break after the whistle went off when Griezmann’s final strike crossed the line. The channel then showed footage of the French celebrating and the Tunisians not, and proceeded with its World Cup Mag show coverage instead of continuing footage from the stadium.

VAR DECISION:

The referee was belatedly called to consult the VAR and had to rule out Griezmann’s late strike because of his offside position earlier in play. TF1 failed to broadcast this, leading many to believe the match was over and decided with France’s victory.

ULTIMATELY:

This defeat did not significantly impact France’s standing as they still finished top of Group D and Tunisia remained in third place, still unable to overtake Australia in second lead.

Poland VS Argentina

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WHAT HAPPENED:

Szczesny attempted to claim a cross in the 36th minute of the match but Messi pushed his head towards the ball first, resulting in Szczesny’s arm colliding with Messi’s face. The VAR then advised a penalty review, which ended in Poland receiving a penalty to be acted on by Argentina.

After Argentina’s 2-0 win over Poland, team captain Lionel Messi expressed his frustrations for missing the penalty in the first half, something the experienced striker does not go through very often. 

VAR DECISION:

Penalty for a foul committed by Szczesny on Messi. Messi’s effort at his awarded penalty kick was saved by Szczesny.

ULTIMATELY: 

This was not quite the kind of incident where the VAR had to be consulted. The outcome of that collision could have been simply decided by the on-field referee without VAR intervention. Many believed that the collision was so soft that there could have been grounds for the VAR to overturn the penalty.

Brazil VS Switzerland

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WHAT HAPPENED:

The first half of the group match between Brazil and Switzerland in Stadium 974 seemed like it was going to end goalless. That is, until Vinicius Jr. put Brazil in the lead with a goal that would have been his first at the 2022 World Cup. 

However, despite Brazil swiftly traversing through the opposition’s defence, Richarlison reached the ball in the build-up after coming from an offside. When he passed the ball to Vinicius, the Tottenham forward blocked the Switzerland defence and led to an obstruction in play.

Hence, any celebrations for Vinicius’s goal came to a halt as the goal was ruled out following a review from VAR. The score remained 0-0. 

VAR DECISION:

Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed due to Richarlison’s offside position. 

ULTIMATELY: 

Brazil still made a breakthrough in the second half of the match when Casemiro scored a goal and broke the deadlock, making the Seleção Canarinho winners once more. This win qualified Brazil as the second team to advance to the round of 16 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, following France’s lead.

Wales VS Iran

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WHAT HAPPENED:

In the 15th minute, Iran’s midfielder Ali Gholizadeh thought he had given his team an early lead in the match by scoring a goal with Sardar Azmoun’s assist. Unfortunately, a VAR review soon disallowed the goal as Gholizadeh was ahead of the ball in an offside position when it was played.

The midfielder was ahead of the ball when Sardar Azmoun played the ball. If Gholizadeh slightly slowed his pace and kept the ball in front of him, he would have been onside.

VAR DECISION:

Gholizadeh’s goal was disallowed for offside.

ULTIMATELY: 

Because of Gholizadeh’s overruled goal, Wales and Iran were left goalless by the end of the first half. The group match ended with a 0-2 final score between the two teams.

Belgium VS Morocco

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WHAT HAPPENED:

The stadium burst into cheers when Hakim Ziyech’s free kick flew the ball past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtous and straight into the net. Morocco thought they had their first goal secured in the first half until a VAR check for a possible offside was called. 

Replays showed that Moroccan defender Romain Saïss started in an offside position when Ziyech striked. He however did not touch the ball before it went into the goal despite still being ahead of the last defender. It was decided Saïss was influencing play by disrupting Courtois’ line of vision. 

Referee Cesar Arturo Ramos Palazuelos proceeded to overturn the goal and both teams entered the halftime with a 0-0 score. 

VAR DECISION:

Ziyech’s goal was disallowed due to Saiss’ offside position.

Romain Saiss (shoulder up) was in front of the opposing defender’s shoulder.

Source: FIFA

ULTIMATELY: 

As Saiss did not touch the ball despite being offside, the decision over his interference in play becomes subjective. The on-field referee makes the final decision after considering the pitchside monitor review from VARs identifying a possible offence.

Had Saiss not attempted a move to play the ball or been in the goalkeeper’s line of vision, Ziyech’s goal would have been accepted.

Hoping For the Best in Future Matches

According to FIFA, the percentage of correct key match decisions rose from 82% to 94% after VAR’s emergence in the 2019/20 Premiere League. The system is undoubtedly imperfect and there are bound to be mistakes, but hopefully VARs achieve a higher level of advancement in the near future to accurately monitor matches and give deserved clarity to the players and fans.

To see what else unfolds in the presence of VARs this World Cup season, catch the matches live on the i8 x SABA APP!  Watch and bet at the same time to win big!