VAR call sparks outrage as Germany lose to Paraguay on penalties

A VAR review that erased Jonathan Tah’s extra-time header triggered fury across Germany, with Alan Shearer, Jurgen Klopp, Pat Nevin and Darren Cann all questioning why referee Jalal Jayed overturned the goal before Paraguay won the shootout 4-3.

Germany believed they had moved 2-1 ahead in the 12th minute of extra time when Tah headed in, but the celebration ended after Jayed was sent to the pitchside monitor following a VAR recommendation. The decision turned on an alleged foul by Waldemar Anton on Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill as the corner came in, and Jayed ruled that contact had been enough to disallow the goal.

Shearer, on BBC One, called the decision “pathetic” and said Gill had “conned the referee”. Cann, the former World Cup final assistant referee, said the challenge was “soft” and described it as “a small block on the goalkeeper”, adding that it was not enough to overturn the goal. Nevin, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live in Boston, also judged the contact too slight to rule the effort out.

Klopp, working for German television, said the goal should have stood and called Germany’s night “brutal”. He compared the incident with similar Arsenal goals he said had been given, underlining how narrow the contact looked in real time and how costly the review became for Germany. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann was left incandescent on the touchline, calling the decision “a joke” before being shown a yellow card for his protests.

The ruling changed the tone of a match that finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time and then swung Paraguay’s way from the spot. Paraguay held their nerve to win the penalty shootout 4-3, ending the run of the four-time world champions and sending Germany out of the competition. Paraguay advanced to the last 16, where they were due to face either France or Sweden on Saturday.

For Germany, the controversy will linger less as a single call than as another test of whether VAR can still deliver consistency when a tournament match turns on a marginal touch between defender and goalkeeper.