A historic first in FIFA World Cup history took place during the Group D match between the United States and Paraguay, as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened under the "mistaken identity" protocol for the first time at the tournament.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the incident occurred in the second half of the match when Dutch referee Danny Makkelie showed a yellow card to United States captain Tim Ream for an alleged foul on Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almirón.
Following the restart, Makkelie received a signal from the VAR team and reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor. After examining the replay, the referee overturned his original decision, determining that no foul had been committed by Ream. Instead, Paraguay's Almirón was shown a yellow card for simulation.
The decision marked the first recorded use of VAR at a FIFA World Cup to correct a case of mistaken identification, a provision that allows officials to rectify errors involving the player deemed responsible for an infringement or misconduct.
The moment added another milestone to the growing role of technology in football, with VAR continuing to expand its influence on major international tournaments. FIFA has gradually broadened the situations in which video review can assist referees, aiming to reduce clear and obvious errors.
The match itself ended in a convincing 4-1 victory for the United States, giving Mauricio Pochettino’s side a winning start to their home World Cup campaign.
