VAR twist on Van Dijk goal sparks debate on German refereeing
Today, the talk show looked back at the 1‑1 draw between the Netherlands and Germany, with the disallowing of a goal by Virgil van Dijk dominating the evening. Martijn Krabbendam, journalist, and various analysts discussed the impact of the VAR decision.
Krabbendam warns against overconfidence
Krabbendam thought that the euphoria after the 1‑1 draw should be tempered a bit. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, okay? Yesterday you got the impression that the Netherlands would become champions under Xavi, because everyone went home enthusiastic. And especially after that second half, that looked good,” said the journalist.
Derksen expressed his amazement at the disallowed goal by Van Dijk. “In England they would laugh about that. Look: that keeper (Marc ter Stegen) wasn’t in the right position. He also wasn’t challenged, or something,” he said.
VAR doubt and keeper criticism
Van der Gijp then turned his attention to the refereeing. “You know what it is, Martijn? This is obviously the big downside of VAR. If you watch it twenty times, by the nineteenth time you think: Maybe he was slightly touched after all. But why does that keeper act so crazy? Because he can’t get to it, that’s why he behaves so oddly,” he said, adding that the German keeper was “very bad.”
Van Dijk expressed his doubts about referee Hernández’s decision immediately after the match. “That goal was disallowed very easily,” said the Dutch captain, “I think Brian did nothing at all. As far as I’m concerned it was just a goal.”
The German football association indicated that the disallowing was due to offside of the Sunderland striker, who was just in front of Marc ter Stegen when the ball struck Van Dijk’s head. Because there was no defender near the posts, the Netherlands' first goal was taken away.
The discussion highlights how a single VAR decision can change the perception of a match. The Inside analysis and the broader football debates show that both fans and experts are demanding more clarity in such situations.