- Tanaka put Japan 2-1 ahead against Spain
- VAR ruled the ball had not crossed the line
- FIFA has finally explained why goal was given
WHAT HAPPENED? It's the most talked about decision of the World Cup so far... and finally we have a proper explanation from FIFA! After Kaoru Mitoma smuggled the ball back across the face of Spain's goal, Tanaka slotted home to score Japan's second goal in three minutes to put them ahead in the match. The goal was eventually given after a long VAR check but there were many who believed that it was clear the ball had gone out of play.
WHY WAS IT GIVEN? The simple fact is that not all of the ball had crossed the line before Mitoma got to it. Indeed, FIFA has even released a video to show that certain camera angles can be deceptive!
STORY IN TWO PHOTOS:
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