Wayne Rooney misses out on a surprising offside call in the Colombia vs. Portugal game
Colombia and Portugal ended their Group K match in a 0-0 draw. In stoppage time, Colombia thought they had won when Davidson Sanchez scored a header, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Wayne Rooney and the BBC team were shocked by the decision after seeing the VAR images. The replays showed that Sanchez’s toe was just offside when the cross came in, but Rooney, Lucas Leiva, and Micah Richards didn’t trust these animated images because the live TV angle seemed to show the goal was onside.
After the match, Rooney said on the BBC, “I don’t see that as offside. Even looking at the pictures, it looks onside to me. I don’t care what they say.” Leiva and Richards agreed, with Leiva calling the decision “ridiculous.”
Although Colombia didn’t get the win they wanted, they still finished top of the group and will face Ghana in the next World Cup round.
Fans on social media also found the offside call hard to believe and backed Rooney’s view. One fan said, “Goal ruled out by a toe; VAR was harsh on Sanchez there. Crazy.” Another wrote, “The eye test showed Sanchez’s goal was clearly onside. These models are ruining football.” Someone else added, “They’re showing feet, but the Portuguese defender’s shoulder should put Sanchez onside. It’s ridiculous because he looks way onside.”
Some fans even made conspiratorial comments about the decision and VAR’s role. One said, “No way that’s offside. Maybe Infantino’s team tweaked the animation of Sanchez’s toe in the VAR check.” Another wrote, “This clear Sanchez goal against Portugal was called offside. We knew Ronaldo was a FIFA diva, but we never thought he’d steal a goal like this so openly. It’s crazy.”