Massive controversy unfurls due to Japan's VAR goal during FIFA World Cup win vs Spain

Japan advanced into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar on Thursday night after scripting a stunning 2-1 win over Spain. While Alvaro Morat scored the opening goal for Spain 11 minutes into the game, Ritsu Doan netted Japan’s first goal in the 48th minute, before Ao Tanaka scored the second three minutes later. It was Japan’s second goal of the night by Tanaka which has now become a topic of discussion for the footballing world.

Looking at the TV footage at the time of the goal, it seemed like the ball was outside the touchline. However, the controversial goal was awarded to Japan after it underwent a significantly long VAR check, but the referees found the ball to not have crossed the touchline. In the 51st minute of Japan vs Spain match, Kaoru Mitoma found himself chasing the ball which was delivered to the right side of the field. 

FIFA World Cup: Was the ball out of play before Japan’s winning goal against Spain?

While the ball looked to have crossed the touchline and gone out of play, the Japan player stopped it before Tanaka went on to convert it into a goal. This followed a VAR check which concluded that the ball had been stopped by Mitoma before it was out of play. The decision resulted in Japan taking a 2-1 lead and going on to advance into the Round of 16 and eventually knocking 2014 FIFA World Cup champions Germany out of the tournament. 

In case the VAR had ruled the ball to be out of play, Japan would have finished their group stage campaign with four points and Germany would have qualified due to a better goal difference (GD). It is pertinent to mention that Germany won 4-2 against Costa Rica and found itself in the third position in Group E behind Spain. While Spain also ended their campaign with four points, they were ahead of Germany in terms of GD. Here’s a look at how the Internet reacted to Japan’s controversial VAR goal against Spain.

Debate over the controversial VAR goal awarded to Japan against Spain