In or out? Japan’s second goal explained

NEW DELHI: To this day, you might find Germans vociferously contesting whether the ball for England’s third goal, in their 4-2 victory in the 1966 FIFA World Cup final, had crossed the goal line. England supporters, on the other hand, will argue that Frank Lampard was robbed of a clear goal in the 2010 World Cup against Germany when it was apparent that the whole of the ball had crossed the goal line. The controversy eventually led to the introduction of goalline technology.

Japan’s second goal against Spain in Doha on Thursday night might invite a similar debate in the years to come.

The goal, scored by Ao Tanaka in the 51st minute, had extreme repercussions for the entire group, helping Japan progress while knocking out four-time world champions Germany at the group stage for the second successive campaign.

The contention was not with Tanaka’s scrambling finish but the assist by Kaoru Mitoma, who appeared to cross the ball from the left when it had gone past the byline. The Japan players wheeled away in celebration, but they had to be quickly halted, with referee Victor Gomes not convinced that the ball had stayed in play.

A lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check ensued, and by the time the officials came to a decision, it was the Japanese players who were exulting with joy at having taken a surprising 2-1 lead.

Soon after the goal, videos and pictures emerged on social media throwing considerable doubt on the goal’s validity. To the naked eye, it seemed as though the whole of the ball had crossed the byline.

The laws of the game say, “A goal kick is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goalline, on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the attacking team, and a goal is not scored.”

So, should Spain have been awarded a goal kick?

While the angle from behind seems to suggest so, the VAR officials decided to award Japan a goal because a fraction of the curvature of the ball was above the byline, suffice for the ball to be deemed to be in play. It is the top angle that demonstrates this most clearly.

Spain manager Luis Enrique was not pleased with the decision. “I have seen a photo that must have been tampered with, it cannot be that this photo is real. It has to be manipulated. I felt that something fishy was going on when the VAR took as much time as it did to decide… I have nothing to say,” he said after the game.