Japan reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the fourth time on Thursday in what seemed to be a matter of millimeters.
Trailing 1-0 at half time, Japan produced a remarkable comeback against Spain with two goals in quick succession in the second half, stunning the 2010 world champions to secure an improbable place in the round of 16 at Germany’s expense. .
But it’s Japan’s second goal that has been the subject of fierce debate after the game, specifically regarding whether the ball crossed the goal line before Kaoru Mitoma’s cutaway pass to Ao Tanaka.
Tanaka’s equalizing goal was initially ruled out after the linesman signaled the ball was out of play.
However, after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was allowed to stand and Japan held on for a historic victory.
The result saw Samurai Blue top Group E, a result no one would have anticipated before the World Cup, ahead of Spain and Germany, who withdrew from the tournament despite a 4-2 win against Costa Rica.
Some were left in disbelief as to why Tanaka’s goal was allowed to stand.
“There are 80 million Germans right now going crazy, waiting for a picture showing that that ball didn’t go out of play,” said former Scotland international Graeme Souness, speaking as an expert on itv.
In two tweets on Friday, FIFA said The VAR officials “used the footage from the goal line camera to verify if the ball was still partially on the line or not. Other cameras can offer misleading images, but based on the available evidence, the ball was not out of play.”
The goal means Japan will play Croatia in the round of 16 on Monday, while Spain will play Morocco on Tuesday.
