Overview
- About 30 minutes into Portugal v Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday, Azizjon Ganiev’s long-range effort was initially given as a goal before VAR overturned the decision.
- The review found a foul in the build-up when Abbosbek Fayzullaev tackled João Cancelo and dispossessed him, and the referee ruled that turnover led directly to the scoring chance.
- Former referee Mark Clattenburg and commentator Owen Hargreaves publicly supported the disallowance and drew a clear line between this play and Lionel Messi’s earlier reviewed goal against Austria.
- The decision left Portugal with a 2-0 lead at the time and helped the side reassert control of the match as Cristiano Ronaldo added another goal later in the first half.
- Under FIFA VAR protocol, on-field goals can be overturned for a clear and obvious error such as a pre-goal foul, and commentators noted the call is significant for the match moment but unlikely to change Uzbekistan’s wider tournament outlook as heavy underdogs.