Pepe goal ruled out for offside by VAR
Video refereeing was used in the first half of the Confederations Cup match between Portugal and Mexico to rule out a goal scored by defender Pepe.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was dusted off for the first time in the Confederations Cup to rule out a Pepe goal during the first half of Portugal v Mexico.
Pepe goal ruled out by VAR
In the 20th minute of the match in Kazan, Cristiano Ronaldo unleashed a shot that cannoned off the crossbar to Joao Moutinho, who clipped the ball to Pepe to score. The defender, who will leave Real Madrid this summer after a decade at the Bernabéu, appeared to be offside.
While the Portuguese players were celebrating, referee Nestor Pitana received a message through his earpiece, and stopped the match. The VAR took one minute to reach a decision: the goal was ruled out for offside.
Confederations Cup a first for video referees
The Confederations Cup is the first senior competition in which the VAR has been used. The competition got underway in Saint Petersburg on Saturday, with hosts Russia cruising to a 2-0 victory against New Zealand.