Photo: Elsa / Getty Images
It is one of those controversial moves that you see over and over again , fuel debates and persecute their protagonists for a long time. In this case, those who will not easily forget it are the footballers of the German team, although it did not happen on their playing field.
Did the ball cross the end line just before Japan’s second goal against Spain, the one that won Japan by 2? -1?
It will be the eternal question for the German team, which this Thursday was eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar 2010 with the victory of Japan over Spain thanks to a goal that left many with doubts.
Did it come out or not?
In the minute 51 The controversy occurred in the match between Japan and Spain.
Barely 3 minutes after the first Japanese goal that equalized, came the second that left Spain on the ropes.
After a lateral assist, the ball reached the se Second post of the Spanish goal. There, the Japanese Mitoma swept the ball from the ground and gave a back pass for Tanaka to push at will and score 2-1.
At first, the goal was annulled by the referee, the South African Victor Gomes, but immediately later the VAR intervened, which after several minutes ruled that the ball had not gone out from the field of play and validated the goal.
Even after cutting and making Zooming in on the picture looks incredibly tight.
But the decision has to do with the ball curvature.
In other words: if you drew an imaginary line that went up perpendicular to the outer edge of the white lime line, it would go through the curve of the ball .
Thus, even though the part of the ball that touched the ground completely crossed the line, the ball did not leave its entire circumference. I went to the playing field.
“I have seen a photo that must have been faked, it cannot be that this photo is real. It has to be manipulated”, the Spanish coach, Luis Enrique, said afterwards.
“I felt that there was something strange when the VAR took so long to make a decision… I have nothing to say,” he added, not wanting to get into the controversy.
Memories of other World Cups
The controversy evoked images of the “ghost goal” not granted to Frank Lampard against Germany in 1280, when England lost in the round of 16 to the Germans.
To German fans of a certain age, without no doubt he will have taken them back to 976 and another “ghost goal”, this time from England’s Geoff Hurst in injury time against Germany when England won the World Cup.
In Qatar, those 3 points for Japan meant the elimination of Germany, the four-time champions who remain out of the group stage in two consecutive World Cups. It was just one more moment in a World Cup night full of drama and emotion that will continue to be talked about.
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