VAR used in Spanish football for first time

Spanish Super Cup - Barcelona v Sevilla - Grand Stade de Tanger, Tangier, Morocco - August 12, 2018 Barcelona's Sergio Busquets is booked by referee Carlos del Cerro Grande REUTERS

The video assistant referee (VAR) was used for the first time in Spanish football on Sunday to award midfielder Pablo Sarabia with Sevilla’s opening goal against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.

Referee Carlos Cerro del Grande deferred to the video assistants to ensure Sarabia was not in an offside position when he latched on to Luis Muriel’s pass to give Sevilla a surprise lead against La Liga and King’s Cup holders Barcelona in the ninth minute in the Super Cup game in Tangier, Morocco.

The use of VAR was hailed as a success at the 2018 World Cup and has been approved for use in La Liga this season, following Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A which introduced the technology last year.