Higuita is back in the conversation because Colombia had a late goal against Portugal erased by the VAR in the 90+1 minute, a call that left Dávinson Sánchez staring at a finish that never counted. Juan Fernando Quintero’s cross reached the area, Sánchez rose at the back post and headed in what looked like a winner until the assistant referee raised the flag and the review confirmed offside.
The blow landed immediately because that header would have made it 1-0 for Colombia. For fans watching the live images, the goal looked valid, and the ruling only sharpened the irritation when the VAR said otherwise. The reaction was instant: indignation from Colombian supporters, followed by a flood of humorous memes on social media that turned a painful ending into a shared joke.
What made the call sting even more was how little seemed to separate the ball from the line of legality. The description available afterward was that Sánchez appeared to be offside by almost a fingernail, the kind of margin that fuels arguments precisely because it is so hard to see in real time. That is why the assistant referee’s flag and the final review felt at odds with the live picture, even if the technology settled the decision.
There was also a larger consequence beyond the single play. Colombia finished first in grupo K after the match with Portugal, which mattered because that position helped avoid rivals such as Germany, France, Croatia or Spain in the next phase. Néstor Lorenzo had already pushed the expectation higher by saying, “Podemos estar en una final del mundo,” and the group result gave that ambition a clearer route.
Now Colombia turns to Ghana, with the match scheduled for Friday, 3 July, at 8:30 p. m. local time in Colombia. If the late header against Portugal became the moment people remembered, the larger point is that Colombia still reached the next step with control of its group, while the unanswered question is whether the team can turn that sharper path into something more than a dispute over a flag and a frame.
For more on the same call, see René Higuita and the VAR call that erased Colombia’s late goal vs Portugal.
