World Cup 2026: VAR makes history, 'wrong identity' leaves football fans confused

The USA started the 2026 World Cup with a great victory. But an incident left everyone in SoFi Stadium baffled as VAR made unprecedented history in a Group D match in which the United States led Paraguay 3-0 at the time. Senior defender Tim Ream, 38, was adjudged to have fouled and received a yellow card for a foul on Miguel Almiron after taking the free kick. Dutch referee Dani Makkeli was sent to the VAR screen and decided to overturn the decision. This is something that officials have never allowed to do before. After canceling Ream's yellow card Makkeli then decided to give Almiron a yellow card instead, for which he fell down himself. This is the first VAR intervention in a World Cup involving a breach of identity. Although it was not as many people expected. FIFA has made several rule changes for this competition. By Pierluigi Colinna, the head referee has requested a specific change for a breach of identity, with the rules stating that if a player is booked or sent off. But the foul was committed by the opposing team. The decision can be changed. Another new rule is that the second yellow card leading to a red card can be reviewed. But this does not include the first yellow card. The reason why Judge Makkeli was able to overturn this decision was the application of the Identification Rule. The referee gave the game a restart before it was stopped. which confused the football fans Because normally when the game is restarted it cannot be stopped. Speaking to BBC Sport, former Everton and Wales player Ashley Williams said: “They awarded the free kick which was strange but it was clearly the right decision. This is the first time we've seen this happen. But it's considered good." Commenting on the match, former England midfielder Danny Murphy said: "Any rule change that means more punishment for falling over is a good thing." The United States, under Mauricio Pochettino, won the game 4-1, making a great start to the campaign in front of their home crowd. After a goal by Damien Bobadilla, the United States led 3-0 at halftime after Folarin. Balajun scored twice. Scoring this goal made him a top US player. Only the second person to score more than one goal in a World Cup match. Paraguay scored another goal from Maurizio. That was before a stunning goal from Giovanni Reyna, who fired a right-footed shot from 20 yards out in the final moments of the game. --- ## Related Articles 1. [2026: I'll leave you alone, I'll leave you alone](https://taegeukgoal.com/ko/news/2026-42) 2. [Ghana, the most famous people in Ghana](https://taegeukgoal.com/ko/news/ghana)