VAR has managed to make itself the story once again, and honestly at this point it feels like a tradition. During Egypt's World Cup last 16 match against Argentina in Atlanta, Mostafa Zico thought he had put the ball in the net, only for the video assistant referee to step in and take it all away. The goal was ruled out for a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the build up, and just like that, the moment was gone.
Now let's be fair here. If there was a genuine foul on Martinez, then the decision is correct and that's just how the game works. The rules are the rules, and VAR exists precisely to catch these things. But the frustrating part, and anyone who watches football regularly will know this feeling well, is that these calls so often come down to the finest of margins. A slight push, a touch on the shoulder, a bit of physicality that would have gone unnoticed in any other era of the game.
Egypt will feel hard done by regardless of whether the decision was technically right. Getting a goal wiped out in a knockout match at a World Cup is a brutal experience, and Zico in particular will be replaying that moment for a long time. You put the ball in the net and you expect to celebrate. Instead you're waiting, watching a screen, hoping the little green circle appears rather than the red one.
Argentina, for their part, will take the benefit without losing too much sleep over it. Martinez is a quality defender and if he was fouled then he was fouled. As a Manchester United fan who has watched him play, the bloke is no shrinking violet, so it would be interesting to see exactly what the contact looked like.
What this does do is reignite the same debate football has been having for years now. VAR is here to stay, that much is clear, but the way it sucks the life out of goal celebrations still feels like a problem nobody has properly solved.
Let me know your thoughts.