VAR blunder disallows Iran winner against Egypt in World Cup shock

Iran thought it had beaten Egypt with a stoppage-time goal in the 93rd minute on Saturday morning, only for VAR to overturn the score in a decision that Sport 5 described as a major and almost unbelievable error. The disallowed goal would have sent both teams through, but instead Egypt secured qualification and Iran may be left out entirely.

The officials said Mehdi Taremi had been offside on the play, but the article says Ahmed Fattouh, who was actually the player breaking the line inside the six-yard box, was not checked by VAR at all. That omission is what triggered the accusations of a huge officiating failure.

Iran had already complained about being mistreated by authorities in matters related to entering the United States. After the VAR decision, fans asked, “How did this happen?” and accused the system of simply “hiding a player.” One fan called it “one of the biggest VAR mistakes ever,” adding that Iran has never advanced from the World Cup group stage. Athlete reports quoted on the site said, “Iran’s players cried. They are in complete shock. How does something like this happen?”

Iran is still not mathematically eliminated, but it is currently ahead of three teams that have already finished their matches. It will be out only if Congo, Croatia and Algeria all finish with a better goal difference and more than three points ahead of Iran. The article says that had the goal stood, both Iran and Egypt would have gone through.