Kiwi referee Matt Conger found the Football World Cup spotlight on Saturday morning (NZ time) and had his first brush with the dreaded VAR at the tournament.
Conger - along with NZ assistant referee Simon Lount - officiated in the Nigeria vs Iceland clash from Group D and was called upon to award a penalty in the 80th minute.
With the Africans already 2-0, through a brace of goals from Leicester City striker Ahmed Musa, the Video Assistant Referee confirmed that Nigerian defender Tyronne Ebuehi had fouled Icelandic rival Alfred Finnbogason in the penalty area.
Conger duly signalled to the spot, but fan favourites Iceland failed to capitalise, with Gylfi Sigurdsson firing the ball high and wide.
The result left the tournament's Group D wide open, with Nigeria, Iceland and Argentina all scrambling for advancement through the knockout phase. With two wins, Croatia's passage is already safely booked.
Newshub.
