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The Guardian World1 min read
The VAR call that dumbfounded the world's best refs
TL;DR
Referee Alireza Faghani initially signaled a penalty for France's Kylian Mbappe after a challenge by Sadio Mane but later reversed the decision to a goal-kick, stating Mbappe initiated the contact.
Key points
- Kylian Mbappe went down in the box after a challenge by Sadio Mane
- Referee Alireza Faghani reviewed the incident using VAR
- Faghani initially signaled a penalty but reversed it to a goal-kick
Mentioned in this story
Kylian MbappeSadio ManeAlireza Faghani
It was a decision that stunned the world's best referees.
France forward Kylian Mbappe was on the attack in the 58th minute against Senegal when he went down inside the box after a challenge by Sadio Mane.
With the game goalless at the New York New Jersey Stadium, referee Alireza Faghani was sent to the pitchside monitor to look at the challenge again.
He returned to the pitch and appeared to point to the penalty spot, much to the delight of the thousands of France fans inside the ground.
However, their joy was short-lived as Faghani had actually signalled for a goal-kick, before he explained that Mbappe had initiated the contact.
Speaking on BBC One, Darren Cann - the 2010 World Cup final assistant referee - said: "My phone has blown up with messages from several of the world's best referees who also can't understand why a penalty wasn't given."
Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, at the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, labelled it a "rubbish decision".
"Utter nonsense," added Nevin.
"No chance at all. How can he [Mbappe] have initiated the contact? The most nonsensical line I have ever heard."
Former England captain Alan Shearer, at the game for BBC One, said it was a "bizarre" decision not to award a penalty.
"I don't get it," added Shearer. "You can see the lunge from Mane and his left leg catches Mbappe.
"How can Mbappe initiate contact if he is in front of him? It's bizarre, it really is."
Figure caption,
'Goodness me!' - Referee denies Mbappe a penalty
In the end the decision did not hurt France, who ran out 3-1 winners with Mbappe scoring twice for the two-time world champions.
In doing so, the Real Madrid forward replaced Olivier Giroud as France's all-time leading scorer, with 58 goals in 99 appearances for his country.
Mbappe also became France's all-time top scorer at World Cups with 14 goals in 15 tournament matches.
Cann added: "I can't support the referee's decision to be honest. For me it is a clear penalty.
"For me it is very, very clear and I am extremely surprised he did not point to the spot after a correct VAR review."
France boss Didier Deschamps, speaking after the game, said his side should have been awarded a penalty.
"The situation in the box - we had a VAR call and I won't tell you what I told the fourth official," he said.
"For the referee to come back and say Kylian put his leg forward, I am not sure I saw this. A penalty should have been awarded but this is my interpretation.
"The referee is always correct."
Q&A
What was the VAR decision involving Kylian Mbappe and Sadio Mane?
The VAR decision involved referee Alireza Faghani initially signaling a penalty for Mbappe before reversing it to a goal-kick, citing that Mbappe initiated the contact.
Why did the referee change the penalty decision during the match?
The referee changed the decision after reviewing the VAR footage and determining that Kylian Mbappe had initiated the contact with Sadio Mane.
How did the fans react to the VAR decision in the match?
France fans initially celebrated the penalty call but were quickly disappointed when the referee confirmed a goal-kick instead.
