History was made in Saturday’s early game, as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) overturned a decision at the World Cup for the first time. Match official Andres Cunha initially waved play on when France’s Griezmann went down under the challenge of Australia defender Joshua Risdon, but consultation with the VAR team led to him changing his mind and awarding the penalty – the correct decision.
The VAR was also called into action in the third match of the day. The on-field referee didn’t initially signal for a penalty when Denmark’s Poulsen felled Peru playmaker Cueva, but upon review the decision was overturned and los Incas were rightly awarded a spot-kick. Unfortunately for them, Cueva was unable to take advantage.