Canada reached the World Cup last 16 on Sunday, but not without difficulty.
Stephen Eustaquio settled a scrappy Round of 32 tie in Los Angeles, with his 92nd-minute strike making Canada the first team into the next knockout round.
The full-time scenes were a far cry from the mood at the break, when head coach Jesse Marsch had to be held back from the officials by his own players.
Marsch was furious that Canada were not given a spot-kick after Richie Laryea went down under a challenge from Khuliso Mudau. The on-field call stood after a VAR check, but a former FIFA referee working on ITV’s coverage has now said she would have given it.
Christina Unkel and Duncan Ferguson disagree on the Canada penalty
That former official is Christina Unkel, ITV’s rules analyst for the tournament and a former FIFA referee. She would have liked to see the play go to review.
Speaking on ITV, Unkel said: “I would prefer to see a penalty given and a VAR recommendation.
“There is always an argument of did that player step into the passing lane or have that movement of the leg going through. This is a good comparison to Brazil v Scotland when Vinicius Junior was called for a foul to take away a goal because he stepped into the passing lane of the player.”
Unkel also noted how reluctant VAR has been to step in across these finals, adding: “We have seen a very high threshold at this tournament with VAR not intervening and here we have seen it again.
“However, in my personal opinion I do think this is a foul.”
Not everyone in the studio agreed. Former Scotland striker Duncan Ferguson took the opposite view and felt the no-penalty decision was correct.
His bias for his own country might have played into that assessment, given that Unkel’s point rested on that Scotland vs Brazil decision being the wrong one as well.
Officiating debates have new stakes in World Cup knockouts
VAR thresholds and refereeing calls have been a running theme throughout this World Cup, but now the stakes have risen sharply.
In the knockout format, there is no second chance to put a wrong right. A bad call in a one-off game can send a nation home for good, and the backlash there would dwarf anything seen across the group stage.
Canada were spared of that fury. Eustaquio’s late winner negated the need for further discussion.
The next team on the wrong end of a tight decision may not be so fortunate.
