In or out? Japan’s second goal explained

NEW DELHI: To this day, you might find Germans 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 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. It eventually led to the introduction of goalline technology.

Japan’s second goal against Spain on Thursday might invite a similar debate in the future.

The goal, scored by Ao Tanaka in the 51st minute, had repercussions for the entire group, helping Japan progress while knocking out 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. Referee Victor Gomes was not convinced that the ball had stayed in play. A 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 2-1 lead. Soon after the goal, videos and pictures on social media threw 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.”

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.