Historic VAR U-Turn as Tim Ream’s Yellow Card is Rescinded in USA’s World Cup Win

California: United States defender Tim Ream was at the centre of a rare VAR intervention as the hosts opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Group D at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.

The unusual incident unfolded in the second half when Dutch referee Danny Makkelie showed a yellow card to the 38-year-old veteran after appearing to rule that he had fouled Paraguay captain Miguel Almiron. However, after the ensuing free kick had already been taken, the Video Assistant Referee stepped in, triggering confusion among players, officials and spectators.

Following a lengthy review at the pitch-side monitor, Makkelie overturned his original decision, cancelling Ream’s booking and instead issuing a yellow card to Almiron for simulation. The decision marked a historic moment, becoming the first instance at a FIFA World Cup where VAR was used to correct a mistaken yellow-card identity under the tournament’s updated review protocols.

The expanded VAR framework for this World Cup was backed by FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina, who advocated allowing reviews in cases involving mistaken identity and wrongful dismissals arising from officiating errors. While first yellow cards are generally not subject to review, this case fell under the new exception.

The controversy did little to disrupt the United States, who produced an impressive attacking display under coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The hosts took an early lead when Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla inadvertently turned Weston McKennie’s cut-back into his own net. Folarin Balogun then took centre stage, scoring twice before halftime to put the Americans firmly in control with a 3-0 advantage at the break.

Balogun’s brace also earned him a place in the record books, making him only the second United States player to score more than once in a single World Cup match.

The convincing victory gives the United States an ideal start to their Group D campaign as they look to build momentum on home soil.
 

With inputs from IANS