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What's the story?
The European football governing body, UEFA, explained through their Twitter account why Nicolas Tagliafico goal for Ajax against Real Madrid was ruled out. Ajax and Real Madrid were meeting in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League, and the latter ended up winning 2-1.
In case you didn't know...
The VAR is still in its testing stages and was introduced in the Champions League during the knock-out stages of the tournament this year.
However, it has already created a lot of controversy as Tagliafico's goal in the game between Ajax and Real Madrid was disallowed by the referee after taking the assistance of video replays.
The decision vastly impacted the outcome of the game and the Eredivisie side ended up losing the tie 2-1 at home. The second leg of the tie will be played on March 6 and Ajax are unlikely to turn the game around against the defending champions.
The heart of the matter
UEFA took to Twitter to explain why the referee decided to disallow Tagliafico's goal in the Champions League game between Ajax and Real Madrid. The incident occurred in the 38th minute of the match, after the hosts thought they had taken the lead through Tagliafico's header, but were subsequently denied.
UEFA said on their official Twitter account:
In the 38th minute of the Ajax v Madrid first leg, Nicolás Tagliafico’s headed goal was ruled out following a VAR review. The referee identified that Tagliafico’s team-mate Dušan Tadić was in an offside position and interfering with the goalkeeper - preventing him from playing or being able to play the ball – as the header was being made. This was in line with VAR protocol and the goal was correctly overturned and a free-kick given for offside.
What's next?
Real Madrid are currently second in the LaLiga table and will play Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu next.
On the other hand, Ajax will play HAC and Den Haag next in the league before squaring up against Feyenoord in the KNVB Cup on February 18.
