Raphael Varane France England red cardGetty

Varane red carded as video ref makes hugely controversial call in France vs England friendly

Raphael Varane was shown a red card for a foul on Dele Alli as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) passed judgment on a penalty call and a sending off in France's friendly clash with England.

The Real Madrid defender found himself the wrong side of the Tottenham midfielder as he raced through on goal at Stade de France.

As Alli entered the area, his heels were clipped by the retreating Varane.

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The on-field match officials immediately pointed to the spot, with England considered to have been denied a goalscoring opportunity.

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Referee Davide Massa was, however, prepared to get confirmation of his call from the VAR.

It took just 34 seconds for a definitive call to be made, with the initial ruling deemed to have been correct.

The decision was also taken to remove Varane from the field, as he had acted as the last man in tangling with Alli.

France were less than amused with the flashing of a red card, and then found their lead cancelled out as Harry Kane converted from the spot to restore parity at 2-2.

England, then, have benefited from their first experience of VAR technology, with the opportunity presented to them to score from the spot and their opponents reduced to 10 men.

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