In the 79th minute, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored a golden goal to avoid defeat against Italy, ultimately winning 4-1 on penalties and securing a spot in the World Cup.
The Italians fiercely protested the equalizing goal by Haris Tabaković, claiming Edin Džeko handled the ball earlier in the play. It is difficult to determine whether the ball hit Džeko’s hand or shoulder, but according to an analysis by the specialized refereeing page "Referee Channel," it may not even matter due to rule changes in 2021.
The key point is that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the ball between two contacts by Bosnian players. If Džeko had scored directly after handling the ball, VAR could have intervened and disallowed the goal. However, Donnarumma made the save, and the ball rebounded to Tabaković, who legally put it into the net.
Before 2021, the rule was different, and a goal would have been disallowed for a handball by a player before the opponent’s contact (in this case, Donnarumma’s save). Of course, this applies only if the referee does not immediately call an obvious handball and stop the attack.
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The explanation from the specialized page is provided in full:
"Natural hand position that did not make the body larger. The ball hit him partly on the hand and partly on the shoulder. The rule states: If a player scores a goal directly with their hand, even unintentionally, it is an offense, and the goal is invalid.
However, after Džeko’s touch, the ball reached an opponent, in this case, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who saved the shot. This means Džeko did not score directly with his hand; instead, his teammate scored after the opponent’s goalkeeper saved the ball.
The rule was changed in 2021. Before that, this goal would have been disallowed.
Since Džeko did not score directly, nor did he use his hand to create a goal-scoring opportunity—instead, Donnarumma touched the ball between his handball and Tabaković’s goal—no handball offense is called.
That is why VAR did not intervene in this situation. It is a correct goal according to the rules of the game. This rule may not make sense, but that’s how it is," the explanation states.