Japan goal explained despite no part of the ball touching line vs Spain

Japan's second goal in their 2-1 win over Spain, which had seismic consequences at the World Cup, continues to be the main talking point.

Ao Tanaka's strike in the 50th minute turned the game around in Japan's favour - and ultimately sent them through to the knockout stages, dumping out Germany in the process. The fallout though has not been about the goal itself, but the assist, which looked to go out of play.

The assistant referee originally disallowed it, before a lengthy VAR check saw his decision overturned. To the naked eye, and in several camera angles, the ball looks to have clearly crossed the line before Kaoru Mitoma cut it back for his compatriot.

Spain boss Luis Enrique said: "I have seen a photo that must have been tampered with, it cannot be that this photo is real. It has to be manipulated. I felt that something fishy was going on when the VAR took as much time as it did to decide... I have nothing to say."

Plenty of people have had their say though, including fans, pundits and former officials. On first viewing, which is backed up by several camera angles, the ball looks to be out. Yet officials have thrown their hat into the right, quoting the laws of the game, to highlight that Japan's winner was justifiably given.

What do the laws say?

It all comes down to the curvature of the ball, plain and simple. The law states the ball remains in play "if the curvature of the ball is over the line".

The lack of a conclusive replay, at least one seen by the public, is the reason for the divide in opinions. FIFA have not shown the evidence which led to VAR overturning the on-field decision, which hardly makes the out-cry surprising.

Peter Walton's view

"I'm seeing the same angles as you, there's a misconception in law that just because the part of the ball that is on the floor is over the line is out - well it clearly isn't because it's the curve of the ball," said the former Premier League referee.

"We see it often with corner kicks where it's over the line but not quite over the line. In this instance, what the VAR is looking for is the evidence to suggest to the referee that the ball has clearly left the field of play and on the evidence that we're seeing, he doesn't have that in front of him.

"What I would suggest is the goal line technology, those cameras are being used for VAR to discover whether it has left the field of play so there are angles that will show that. If, however, a player's boot or a player's shin has gone over the top of the ball can't see it clearly then the VAR will say to the referee: 'I don't have that evidence to give you, Mr Referee, stay with your on-field decision'.

"We'll see what pictures FIFA show us but the law is specific, the ball is still in play if the curvature of the ball breaks that line - do we have that evidence to show?"

Mike Dean's explanation

The celebrity official recently called time on his spell as a Premier League official. He, like Walton, has backed the decision despite the controversy surrounding it. He said on Bein Sports: "There is an angle I have managed to get hold of. When you look at that you can't see any of the green grass between that ball and the white line.

"The technology would be that because every player has got like 29 data points on the body, they will know when the player has kicked the ball, when the foot touches the ball that will trigger off a signal in the ball and on the player. That will know when the player has touched the ball and whether it went out or not and it didn't.

"There is one angle I have seen before, an angle bang from where the corner flag is looking down and it doesn't look like the ball is out. I think that was the correct decision, they wouldn't have made up a decision for the sake of it, they would have used the technology and got to the right decision."

Pundits not convinced

Despite the explanations, those watching in the immediate aftermath were left questioning how the goal was given. Much of the debate, as mentioned, stems from the lack of conclusive evidence that was - or wasn't - broadcasted. FIFA have come in for huge criticism throughout the World Cup.

Graeme Souness hammered them for not producing the necessary images, with the goal proving crucial for the Germans, who would've gone through had the on-field decision been backed.

"There are 80 million Germans right now going mad, waiting for a picture that shows that ball didn't go out of play," he told ITV. "Germany is not a small footballing nation. Why would you create confusion and not want to clear it up immediately? Why are FIFA not showing us something that is so controversial? Why aren't they showing it to us? Clear it up for us, please."

Gary Neville meanwhile was left questioning why the decision, if it was correct, wasn't conveyed to those watching. "From the very first day of this tournament we haven't been able to communicate big decisions really clearly to fans at home, and even to us... how these decisions are being overturned," he said.

"VAR have seen something that we have not seen around the world. We can't get an angle of what the VAR officials have seen to overturn the decision. We have moved on in terms of technology, where we have hundreds of cameras in stadiums where we can't miss anything.

"Yet we've gone backwards in terms of demonstrating clear decisions. Someone in that VAR studio has seen something which has absolutely categorically overturned it."

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