Lampard's ghost goal — ball clearly over the line
What happened
In the 38th minute with Germany leading 2-1, Frank Lampard struck a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down clearly behind the goal line — by approximately 60cm according to later measurements. Referee Jorge Larrionda and his linesman Mauricio Espinosa did not award the goal. England went in at half time 2-1 down instead of level at 2-2. Germany won the match 4-1. The incident caused worldwide outrage and FIFA accelerated the introduction of goal-line technology.
Why the law says so
The Laws of the Game are clear — if the whole of the ball passes over the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar, a goal is scored. The ball clearly crossed the line. The referee made a clear and obvious error. This is precisely the category of mistake that VAR and goal-line technology were designed to prevent. Goal-line technology (GLT) was officially approved by IFAB in 2012 and introduced at the 2014 World Cup, directly as a result of incidents like this one.
Key factors
- ✓Ball crossed the line by approximately 60cm — not a marginal call
- ✓Visible to everyone in the stadium and on television instantly
- ✓Referee and linesman were both in poor positions
- ✓No goal-line technology in 2010 — introduced at 2014 World Cup partly because of this
- ✓Would be awarded instantly with modern goal-line technology
- ✓England went on to lose 4-1 — the disallowed goal could have changed the match