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Colombia denied World Cup win after Davinson Sánchez ruled offside 'by a toenail'
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- Colombia denied World Cup win after Davinson Sánchez ruled offside 'by a toenail'
Davinson Sánchez appeared to net a game-winning goal at the end of Columbia's match against Portugal during the 2026 World Cup .
Instead, Sánchez was ruled offside on the play – by the narrowest of margins.
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The assistant referee raised the flag quickly after Sánchez's header hit the back of the net. The match was then stopped for a VAR review before referee Alireza Faghani signaled that the call on the field was, in fact, correct.
Personnel in the stadium were given a look at the technology-enhanced replay before it was made available to fans at home.
The Colombian fans on-hand for the Saturday, June 27 match expressed disapproval with the call while Fox color analyst Stu Holden laughed and noted Sánchez was only offside "by a toenail" during the play.
Moments later, Fox's feed finally showed the replay, which showed the tip of Sánchez's right boot being over the line.
Play-by-play commentator John Strong was quick to note the referees had made "the right call" by the letter of the law while Holden continued to express amazement about just how narrow the margin was.
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"That's a size-10 instead of a size-9 cleat," Holden said. "Wow."
The nullified goal proved to be of little consequence, in the end. Colombia didn't notch a victory, but Los Cafeteros still won Group K by virtue of their goalless draw against Portugal .
Next up for Colombia will be a date with Ghana in the round of 32. The two countries will square off at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, July 3 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colombia denied World Cup win after Davinson Sánchez ruled offside 'by a toenail'
