Chile kicked off its Confederations Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon in Moscow, but the scoreline was not the focal point of the game. Instead, the controversial and newly-introduced Video Assistant Referee system played the biggest role of the match. Without a goal after 80 minutes, it looked like we were headed for a draw after the use of the VAR disallowed what seemed like a legitimate goal for the South Americans. But Eduardo Vargas and the reigning back-to-back Copa America champs battled back to score twice in the final 10 minutes to secure three points. Here's how it went down:
Vargas looked to have opened in the scoring in the first half after being sent through by Arturo Vidal, but the goal was called off for an offside that was not initially given. The VAR was used, and the match remained 0-0.
🤔 Was this offside?
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 18, 2017
Moments like this won't settle the VAR debate anytime soon. @Powerade #ConfedCup #CMRCHI https://t.co/s4u9vnePa6
That gave Cameroon life, but the African side couldn't make Chile pay, and in the end the South Americans were too much. In the 81st minute substitute Alexis Sanchez set up Arturo Vidal for a header in the box:
Chile added another in stoppage time through Vargas to secure a 2-0 win, and VAR was actually used again to check what looked like an offside from Alexis Sanchez. It wasn't called, and then goal was officially awarded, as Chile cemented the victory:
The VAR dominates the headlines, and Chile gets what it wanted, while being both hurt and helped by the VAR.
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