Germany will be sitting at home wondering how on earth they ended up losing to Paraguay on penalties after what looks like one of the worst VAR calls in recent memory. A goal that could have won the game was disallowed, and the football world has not been quiet about it.
Alan Shearer called it a joke, which is about as damning as it gets from a man who tends to choose his words carefully. Jurgen Klopp, who knows a thing or two about big moments in football, was equally unimpressed. Pat Nevin and Darren Cann also weighed in to say Germany were hard done by, and when that many respected voices are singing from the same hymn sheet, it is probably worth listening.
The frustrating thing about VAR is that it was supposed to fix these moments. It was brought in so that clear and obvious errors could be corrected, not so that officials could spend three minutes staring at screens before making a decision that leaves everyone more confused than before. When the technology produces an outcome that has Shearer and Klopp agreeing it is wrong, something has clearly gone sideways.
Germany, to their credit, kept going and took it to penalties. But there is something brutal about losing a shootout after having what looked like a legitimate winner taken away from you earlier in the game. The players must be absolutely gutted, and honestly, who could blame them.
Paraguay will take the win and fair play to them, they saw it through when it mattered. But this story is going to follow that VAR decision around for a while. Referees and officials deserve support in a difficult job, but when the calls are this hard to defend, the criticism is inevitable and justified.
Football keeps having this conversation about VAR and it never quite reaches a satisfying conclusion. Hopefully the people in charge of the game are watching these moments and taking notes, because incidents like this damage trust in the sport in a way that takes a long time to repair.
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