The Venezuelan soccer team rescued an agonizing victory by the slightest difference this Tuesday night against its counterpart from Paraguay in a meeting where there was no shortage of controversy. And the game could have ended 2-0 for the Venezuelans had it not been for the disallowance of a goal by midfielder Yangel Herrera.
Although it seems like a matter of routine since the application of VAR in football, Spanish statistician Alexis María Martín-Tamayo, better known as “MisterChip”, took to his X account (formerly Twitter) to make a notable observation about the disallowed goal. to Herrera: The same referee, against the same rival, disallowed a goal from the same player due to an alleged previous handball.
As “MisterChip” recalls, the Colombian referee Andrés Rojas had already had a controversial performance in the World Cup qualifying match for Qatar 2022, specifically on October 13, 2020 at the Metropolitan Stadium in Mérida. On that occasion, Rojas canceled a goal for Yangel Herrera for an alleged hand signaled by the VAR.
Three years later history repeated itself, this time at the Monumental de Maturín, where the Colombian referee once again denied Herrera the goal due to an alleged handball in the area.
“Yangel Herrera is the first player in the history of the South American qualifiers with two goals disallowed by VAR. Both goals, moreover, against the same rival, with the same referee and for the same reason,” highlighted the Spanish statistician in his X account.
A penalty taken in the 93rd minute by Salomón Rondón, precisely due to a Paraguayan handball in the area reported by the VAR, gave Venezuela its first three points in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
La Vinotinto’s next rival in the South American qualifiers will be Brazil in a match to be held on October 12 at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá.
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