Of all its critics, perhaps the biggest detractors of the debut of the video assistant referee (VAR) at this World Cup are the goalkeepers.
After yesterday's games - England's 6-1 win over Panama and Japan's 2-2 draw with Senegal -13 of the 78 goals had come from penalties with six awarded (four scored, two missed) after VAR's intervention. That has already surpassed the record 12 spot kicks converted at Argentina 1978.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
