Ex-FIFA referee Sergey Shebek assessed a situation from yesterday’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match France vs. Ukraine (4:0), when in the beginning of the second half, Ukrainian team midfielder Yehor Nazaryna fell in the opponent’s penalty area.
Moment of contact in Yehor Nazaryna vs. Dayot Upamecano episode«I don’t understand why the VAR referee called Vincic to look at this episode. The on-field referee correctly understood the confrontation between Nazaryna and Upamecano and continued the game. After all, the French defender managed to poke the ball out from under Nazaryna’s feet, and then contact occurred between them.
The main condition here is who played the ball first. The answer is obvious — Upamecano. Therefore, there is no infringement. The Slovenian referee, after watching the VAR, was once again convinced that he was right and made the correct initial decision.
And a few minutes later, he awarded a clear penalty against the Ukrainian team. Interestingly, without the help of VAR. So everything did not go in our favor,» said Shebek.
Moment of Nazaryna’s fall in the French team’s penalty area:
