A Women's World Cup referee sparked confusion after announcing the wrong VAR decision in Spain's victory over Zambia, before correcting herself seconds later. Spain had put in a good showing as they beat Zambia 5-0 at Eden Park in New Zealand. However, the most intriguing moment came from Korean referee Oh-Hyeon Jeong while there was a VAR check on Jennifer Hermoso's goal in 70th minute. Hermoso had already netted earlier in the game but her second was initially ruled out as Olga Carmona was flagged offside in the build-up to the goal.
After the lengthy check, it seemed that the Spaniard would be allowed the goal until Oh-Hyeon Jeong appeared to stick with her original decision. The official announced that the decision was "no goal!", which was then met with boos from the crowd. This then saw the referee backtrack and say: "No, wait... no offside - Goal!" But for a second the Spanish team were left confused due to the dodgy announcement before realising that the goal had been given. The players then wheeled off to celebrate their fourth goal of the game. It was not the last action of the match as Alba Redondo then netted her second of the game in the 85th minute.
During the Women's World Cup, history was made as referees are announcing VAR decisions to the spectators in the stadium through a microphone. It is the first time that this has been done at a senior international tournament. The trial by FIFA was also done at the men's Club World Cup and men's U-20 World Cup earlier in the year. If the trial is deemed a success, it could then arrive in major European competitions like the Premier League.
Source: The Sun
