Germany’s opening goal should have been disallowed, pundits say after Pavlović high boot goes unpunished

Germany’s opening goal should have been disallowed, pundits say after Pavlović high boot goes unpunished

VAR's failure to intervene on a dangerous challenge in the second minute has raised serious questions about officiating consistency at World Cup 2026

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by Editorial Team

Germany were gifted an early advantage at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, and not everyone thinks it should have stood. A high boot from midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović on Ecuador’s Pedro Vite, which went completely unpunished, directly led to Leroy Sané scoring in the second minute of the Group E clash. Former professionals watching in the studio were not impressed.

Joe Hart, Ellen White, and Lucas Leiva were unanimous: the challenge was dangerous, it violated FIFA’s Law 12, and the goal should have been ruled out. The VAR team saw it, reviewed nothing, and play moved on. Germany had their goal.

What actually happened, and why it matters

Pavlović’s boot made contact with Vite during the build-up to the goal, catching the Ecuadorian player at a height that pundits described as clearly endangering the opponent. Under FIFA’s Laws of the Game, a high boot that poses a risk to another player is classified as dangerous play, regardless of whether the intent to harm was there.

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Hart, the former England and Manchester City goalkeeper, made the case plainly. White, the retired England striker and two-time Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner, agreed the contact was sufficient to warrant a foul call. Leiva, the former Liverpool and Brazil midfielder, added the perspective of someone who has been on the receiving end of exactly these kinds of challenges throughout a career in elite football.

The goal itself came in the second minute, which made the failure to review it all the more significant. A wrong call in the 87th minute is painful. A wrong call in the second minute shapes the entire structure of a match, the tactical decisions both teams make for the remaining 88-plus minutes, the substitutions, the risk tolerance.

The VAR question nobody has a clean answer to

VAR did not intervene. No review was triggered. The goal stood. This is the part that has frustrated commentators and fans in equal measure, because it is not a question of whether the on-field referee made a split-second mistake under pressure. VAR had the time and the tools. The decision, by omission, was still made.

MetLife Stadium, in the New York and New Jersey metro area, is one of the marquee venues for the 2026 World Cup, hosting multiple matches throughout the tournament.

What Germany’s opponents and neutral observers are watching now

The 2026 edition is the first 48-team World Cup in the competition’s history, which means more matches, more officials, and more opportunities for inconsistency to compound.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
SOCCER

Germany’s opening goal should have been disallowed, pundits say after Pavlović high boot goes unpunished

Germany’s opening goal should have been disallowed, pundits say after Pavlović high boot goes unpunished

VAR's failure to intervene on a dangerous challenge in the second minute has raised serious questions about officiating consistency at World Cup 2026

by Editorial Team

Share

Add us on Google

Germany were gifted an early advantage at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, and not everyone thinks it should have stood. A high boot from midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović on Ecuador’s Pedro Vite, which went completely unpunished, directly led to Leroy Sané scoring in the second minute of the Group E clash. Former professionals watching in the studio were not impressed.

Joe Hart, Ellen White, and Lucas Leiva were unanimous: the challenge was dangerous, it violated FIFA’s Law 12, and the goal should have been ruled out. The VAR team saw it, reviewed nothing, and play moved on. Germany had their goal.

What actually happened, and why it matters

Pavlović’s boot made contact with Vite during the build-up to the goal, catching the Ecuadorian player at a height that pundits described as clearly endangering the opponent. Under FIFA’s Laws of the Game, a high boot that poses a risk to another player is classified as dangerous play, regardless of whether the intent to harm was there.

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Hart, the former England and Manchester City goalkeeper, made the case plainly. White, the retired England striker and two-time Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner, agreed the contact was sufficient to warrant a foul call. Leiva, the former Liverpool and Brazil midfielder, added the perspective of someone who has been on the receiving end of exactly these kinds of challenges throughout a career in elite football.

The goal itself came in the second minute, which made the failure to review it all the more significant. A wrong call in the 87th minute is painful. A wrong call in the second minute shapes the entire structure of a match, the tactical decisions both teams make for the remaining 88-plus minutes, the substitutions, the risk tolerance.

The VAR question nobody has a clean answer to

VAR did not intervene. No review was triggered. The goal stood. This is the part that has frustrated commentators and fans in equal measure, because it is not a question of whether the on-field referee made a split-second mistake under pressure. VAR had the time and the tools. The decision, by omission, was still made.

MetLife Stadium, in the New York and New Jersey metro area, is one of the marquee venues for the 2026 World Cup, hosting multiple matches throughout the tournament.

What Germany’s opponents and neutral observers are watching now

The 2026 edition is the first 48-team World Cup in the competition’s history, which means more matches, more officials, and more opportunities for inconsistency to compound.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.