Football karma! Matildas caught in wild VAR controversy … but have the perfect reaction

The Matildas have enjoyed a healthy dose of footballing karma, scoring a second goal against Canada just moments after a goal was disallowed in controversial fashion.

In the 34th minute, Ellie Carpenter and Hayley Raso – scorer of the opening goal early on – linked up well in a slick passing move. Caitlin Foord kept the ball alive and it bounced to Raso, who blasted it across the face of goal. It was blocked before Carpenter could tap it home, but Mary Fowler charged in at the perfect time and blasted it into the roof of the net.

After Australia had celebrated in delirious fashion, however, the referee was asked to head to the pitch-side monitor by VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to check a possible offside.

And at the moment Fowler shot the ball, Ellie Carpenter was marginally offside – and was deemed as interfering with play since she was in contact with a defender at the time.

The goal was ruled out, causing disbelief among the Australian players and fans.

“Well that has blown my mind,” former Matilda Amy Chapman said in commentary for Optus Sport.

However, the goal could also have easily been ruled out by VAR for a foul in the build-up, when Ellie Carpenter trod on the ankle of a Canada player who had cleared the ball.

But the Aussies, fired up by the perceived injustice of having a goal taken away from them, responded in the perfect fashion by scoring soon after. Catley won a corner on the left side, which was bumbled around the box and eventually fell for Raso near the goal line, who buried her second goal of the night to hand Australia a 2-0 lead.

But the entire sequence of play caused Australian fans to blow up on social media.