CUP REPLAY UPROAR
Disputed call helps lift France
France should have dispatched Nigeria with ease in its group stage matchup without needing a controversial call to bail it out. But the host team got one from the video assistant referee, and rode that to a 1-0 victory.
In a match where France enjoyed 72% possession, attempted 22 shots in total, completed 532 passes with 85% pass accuracy and had nine corner kicks, the game was miraculously level in the 73rd minute when Nigerian left back Ngozi Ebere tackled French midfielder Viviane Asseyi in the penalty area. That’s when the drama began.
The VAR room called for an on-pitch review from the match official. After taking a look, she not only issued the penalty, but also handed Ebere a yellow card, her second of the match. That was fine. Ebere’s leg sweep on Asseyi was worthy of the penalty and second yellow. But somehow — somehow — with Nigeria a player down and facing a penalty, the outcome of the game wasn’t a foregone conclusion.
When Wendie Renard stepped up to the spot to put the game to bed, she took the penalty without conviction — a soft touch to the lower left corner — allowing Nigerian keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to get a hand on the ball and push it out over the touch line.
Despite everything, Nigeria was still in the match. That is, until VAR factored in for the second time in a matter of minutes.
Upon further review, the match official determined that Nnadozie came off her line too early when she saved the penalty. She was handed a yellow, and Renard was granted a reprieve. The French defender did not miss a second time, burying this ball in the upper right side of the goal.
From there, the game was largely academic despite an additional eight minutes of extra time.
Nigeria’s fan base was left furious and feeling cheated. And it was probably not wrong to feel that way.
Technically, Nnadozie left her line early. But she didn’t leave exceptionally early, did not come more than a step off her line and in fact, virtually had one foot on the line the whole time. In an era when most keepers come off their line to some extent, the decision was highly questionable.