VAR rescues Argentina: “it would never normally be reviewed”
Letexier reviewed and disallowed an action prior to what would have been Egypt's second goal. It was ultimately ruled out for an Attia stamp on Lisandro.
Argentina fell victim to the clinical efficiency of an Egyptian side that executed its game plan to perfection. The team coached by Hossam Hassan managed three shots on target and appeared to score with all three, although one was later ruled out following a VAR review initiated by referee François Letexier.
In the 58th minute, Lisandro Martínez broke the lines to collect a loose ball but became trapped near the corner of the attacking third. Challenged by two opponents, the Argentine centre back lost possession and, on a perfectly executed counterattack, Zizo finished after a magnificent pass from Salah.
The entire Argentina bench immediately appealed. Egypt’s celebrations quickly turned to uncertainty after the VAR alerted the French referee. After consulting the pitchside monitor and enduring a few tense seconds, Letexier disallowed the goal for Attia’s stamp on Licha at the start of the move, more than 80 metres from the goal where the attack ended.
After the Egyptian goal was overturned, with multiple replays shown from every angle, former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde told AS: “Since the knockout stage, we have seen a very intrusive VAR. Whether we like it or not, we’ll have to get used to it. It was a very minor stamp that, under the way VAR is generally interpreted, would never normally be reviewed and would instead be left to the referee’s judgement.”
“The big problem is that the Laws of the Game have always been universal, the same all over the world. Since VAR was introduced, however, it has been applied without a consistent standard. As a result, players and fans ultimately become confused by the different ways competitions use it,” the former referee concluded.
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