World Cup 2026: Fifa explain decision to rule out Germany’s extra-time goal against Paraguay

Before the World Cup began, Pierluigi Collina gave a presentation about what we should expect at the tournament.

Collina talked about blocking, although in relation to offences that happen before the ball is in play.

Fifa changed the VAR protocol so a goal could be disallowed if the blocking happened, for example, prior to a corner being taken.

This does not quite fall into that category, as Germany had already taken the corner when Anton came into contact with Gill.

But it does still show that it was an area of focus for the Italian.

The decision seems soft, however, and the VAR recommending the referee should review the incident was a surprise.

If anything, it is the goalkeeper who moves into the Germany player, who did not alter his position. The contact between them was a consequence of that.

Was Gill really impeded from being able to make a potential save? And was it really a clear and obvious error?

While the Premier League will place a greater focus on blocking and holding next season, we should not expect a VAR intervention for something like this.