The Japan head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, said his side’s determination to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup meant their “intent manifested as a goal” as their winner was decided by the smallest of margins thanks to the intervention of VAR. The Spain coach Luis Enrique was far from happy, despite a second-placed finish in Group E meaning a potential quarter-final against Brazil is avoided.
The ball had looked out of play to the naked eye when Kaoru Mitoma cut back for Ao Tanaka to score in the 51st minute. But VAR technology, aided by a sensor inside the ball, called the play in and Japan completed a three-minute turnaround, coming from a goal down to beat Spain 2-1.
