The international football association Fifa clarified the situation before the winning goal in Thursday’s Japan-Spain match.
2.12. 19:06•Updated 2.12. 19:07
The international football association Fifa has released new footage of Japan’s second goal against Spain in Thursday’s World Cup match. Japan’s 2–1 winning goal was upheld after a VAR review when the ball was deemed to have stayed in play on the end line.
Fifa published a simulation on Twitter that shows the ball actually stayed on the side of the field.
– Some camera angles may look misleading. Based on available evidence, the entire ball was not out of bounds, the tweet clarified.
Fifa’s animation aptly shows the optical illusion that caused many to wonder about the goal award. Even if green grass is visible between the ball and the end line, the ball is not necessarily out of play.
Japan finally beat Spain 2–1 and secured the win in Group E. Japan’s victory meant Germany’s elimination in the initial group stage. Due to Japan’s goal, Germany had a weaker goal difference in the group comparison.
Germany, the enduring success of football, was catastrophically eliminated from the World Cup for the second time in a row already in the initial group stage.