World Cup: was this the ball? This is a controversial decision that qualifies Japan

This is one of the highlights of this crazy Thursday night at this World Cup. We are arguing about the beginning of the second period between Japan and Spain, and the Japanese have just equalized. With a new attack, the Asians sowed trouble in the defense of the Spaniards. A pass that flies in front of Unai Simon’s goal, Kaoru Mitoma who breaks to return the ball to the center, and Ao Tanaka (2-1, 51st) who closes the deal.

The Japanese take control of the meeting and first place in the group. Despite the very strong technical superiority of the Iberians, the score remained the same and Japan advanced to the round of 16 against Croatia. At 1-1, Spain would have taken first place in the group and Germany would have placed second in goal average, thanks to their 4-2 parallel victory over Costa Rica. A potential scenario that very quickly called into question the correctness of the Japanese second goal.

Because from certain angles it seems quite obvious that the ball went completely out of bounds, which would invalidate the goal. What the German daily newspaper Bild complained about on Friday morning, drawing a parallel between this decision and the decision of the 1966 final against England at Wembley (4-2, p.p.), where the English gained an advantage over the RFA, scoring a Geoffrey goal Hurst, who didn’t seem to cross the line.

But the referee of the meeting, Victor Gomes, nevertheless, received the help of Var to confirm this achievement of Japan. A decision that, upon closer examination, still seems justified. From another angle, it looks like a very small part of the ball is still on the boundary line.

On this occasion, the rules of football are clear. The lyrics state that the ball is out of play when “it has completely crossed the goal line or touchline, on the ground or in the air”. Therefore, contrary to what is often heard, it is not necessary for the ball to still touch the line.

Internet users then amused themselves by showing how the prospect can deceive us in such a situation. An example here is with a balloon and a simple sheet of paper. All this will not console the Germans, but at least help to understand why this goal could have been awarded to the Japanese.