Liga technology ends the controversy over Real Madrid's disallowed goal

There is no room for complaint

The closing minutes between Real Betis and Real Madrid crackled with tension after the new technology inside LaLiga's ball ruled out a stunning goal from Carlos Espí. Betis won 1-0 at La Cartuja. Two late incidents left the game mired in controversy.

According to Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", the first flashpoint arrived when Espí produced a magnificent overhead kick moments after coming on in the 87th minute. At that stage, the goal levelled the tie at 1-1.

Referee Hernández Hernández halted the restart even though the ball sat in the middle of the pitch. The VAR room, led by Javier Iglesias Villanueva, had flagged the play for review.

That review exposed an offside at the start of the attack involving the Real Madrid forward, and the goal was chalked off.

Working from the VAR room, the Galician official leaned on one of the standout innovations in the Spanish top flight this season: the chip embedded inside the ball, known as the "sensor ball". It pinpoints offside situations far more accurately than the semi-automated system relied upon until now.

Linked directly to the VAR room, the system nails the precise moment offside occurs to within millimetres. It identifies the exact point of contact that precedes any potential offside.

The same technology that scrapped Real Madrid's goal had already intervened in the first half, on a corner kick during the closing moments of the opening period.

Alejandro Hernández Hernández initially awarded a corner, believing the Real Betis goalkeeper had kept out Huijsen's shot.

Yet the technology, backed by the images, showed the ball had struck the crossbar. A goal kick went Betis's way instead.

The sensor made it possible, confirming in an instant whether contact with the ball was made.