Japan were placed in Group E alongside Germany, Spain and Costa Rica. Very few people would have thought that Japan can progress to the World Cup 2022 Round of 16 from this group, let alone win the group.
However, Japan has done the impossible and have beaten both the 2010 and 2014 World Cup winners deservingly. They have topped Group E and will now face 2018 finalist Croatia.
Japan scored 2 goals against Germany within a span of 8 minutes and 3 minutes against Spain and won both the match by a 2-1 margin. However, the second goal against Spain, which won them the group and booked their place in the Round of 16 and eliminated Germany, has created a huge amount of controversy.
From some camera angles, the ball seemed to be out of play before the goal was scored. But, VAR seemed the goal to be legal and allowed it to stand.
FIFA release video evidence to prove that Japan’s 2nd goal against Spain was legal
FIFA have now released video evidence to prove that Japan’s 2nd goal against Spain was legal. Despite some camera angles showing the ball was out of line, from the image straight up above the ball, it is clear that the whole ball was not out of play.
FIFA said: “Japan’s second goal in their 2-1 win over Spain was checked by VAR to determine if the ball had gone out of play. The video match officials used the goal line camera images to check if the ball was still partially on the line or not.”
“Other cameras may offer misleading images but on the evidence available, the whole of the ball was not out of play.”
The Asian side deserved their points and have beaten two heavyweights of the World Cup to progress. They look like a side that can trouble Croatia, so the quarter-final is not of their sight.
