A last minute penalty and VAR proved to be a recipe for disaster as Argentina fought back from 3-0 down to draw with Scotland. The result gives Nigeria’s Super Falcons a glimmer of hope to qualify for next round.
VAR was at the heart of yet another controversy in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday as a chaotic end to the 3-3 draw saw Scotland women crash out of the competition.
The Scots had a 3-0 lead over Argentina until the 74th minute of their final group game and still had a chance of progressing into the next round before their opponents struck back.
Milagros Menendez fired home first for Argentina, before a Florencia Bonsegundo shot hit the crossbar and bounced in off of goalkeeper Lee Alexander to set up a nailbiting final 10 minutes.
The excitement then seemed to have reached its peak when a penalty was awarded to Argentina in the 89th minute. Alexander stopped Bonsegundo’s effort from the spot, following it up with another save, seemingly securing the win for Scotland.
But play was stopped to allow the referee to review the video footage, causing a long delay. Eventually, it was ruled that Alexander had stepped off the line before the spot-kick was struck and the referee ordered a retake, with the goalkeeper seemingly marginally off the line.
This time Bonsegundo hammered it straight down the middle and past Alexander, completing a remarkable comeback.
But the outrage that the incident caused on social media continued after the game, with many players, fans, pundits and even actors and politicians voicing their distain for VAR.