Was Nico Williams' Goal Rightfully Disallowed?

Spain are the fully deserved new world champions. Despite the widely acknowledged immense superiority "La Furia Roja" displayed in the final against Argentina, Luis de la Fuente's side had to wait until the 106th minute to finally take the lead. Besides Ferran Torres's goal, Emiliano Martinez, who had an outstanding match, had to pick the ball out of his net twice more. However, these goals were disallowed. The overturned goal by Nico Williams in the 96th minute sparked significant controversy. The goal was chalked off due to a foul by Mikel Merino on Nicolas Otamendi. The defender went down after being lightly stepped on by Mikel Merino. This was enough for head referee Slavko Vincic to immediately disallow the goal and award a free-kick, a decision upheld by VAR.

Many, however, did not consider this contact sufficient grounds for a foul. Among them is former English referee Mark Halsey, who analyzed controversial situations for "The Sun" during the World Cup.

Here's his take on the situation: "I'm sorry, but for me, that's not a foul. He (Otamendi) made a meal of it with the way he threw himself in the air. And the referee awarded a direct free-kick. Why, for heaven's sake, did VAR not review the situation, check it carefully, and recommend the referee look at the replay? For me, that's not a foul, and it should have been a goal for Spain."