Japan faced Spain in their last group stage match for Group E. However, the decider goal proved out to be very controversial.
The moment came in the 51st minute when Kaoru Mitoma cut back a seemingly out of play ball. He crossed it to Ao Tanaka who converted it into a goal.
Japan celebrated but the referees disallowed the goal as the videos clearly showed the ball to be out of play.
But, then the Video Assistant Referee came into the picture. After a lengthy review, they deemed the ball in play which was a surprise to all.
Apparently the official rule states that if any part of the ball stays in the field, the ball is considered to be in play which was true in this case but hard to notice.
FIFA VAR officials had bird's eye view of the ball with cameras accurately aligned with the boundaries. So, they could verify if any part of the ball was inside when looking vertically from top.
Apparently, a sliver of ball portion was still inside the field when Mitoma crossed the ball to Tanaka. Hjowever, the reference video was not displayed in the stadium for fans and players to see.
It seems that though the goal was legal which led to Japan defeating Spain by 2-1, the disappointment from fans and players was understandable as they lacked video proof then and there.