VAR spared Barcelona a two-goal deficit against Galatasaray, chalking off a goal for the hosts in the 34th minute of Tuesday's second-round clash in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, and keeping the Catalans' comeback hopes alive.
Aleksei Batrakov had put Galatasaray ahead in the 28th minute. The Turkish side's fans erupted, and the pressure piled onto Barcelona, who scrambled to get back into the game and avoid going into the break behind.
Roared on by their supporters, Galatasaray kept coming, and they found the Barcelona net again in the 34th minute. Victor Osimhen rose to meet a corner and headed it goalwards, Albert Yilmaz got a touch on the way in, and the stands went wild at a goal that looked certain to give the hosts a comfortable cushion.
That joy lasted barely a moment. Video technology stepped in to review the passage of play, offside was given and the goal came off the board. Galatasaray's lead stayed at one, and Barcelona, who had been staring down a two-goal hole inside ten minutes, had a lifeline.
It turned the half. Barcelona caught their breath and worked their way back into the contest after surviving the toughest spell they had faced against a Turkish side who came within inches of doubling up and making life very awkward indeed for the Catalan giants.
Two minutes before the break, Barcelona took their chance. Dani Olmo slid a superb pass through and Joao Cancelo needed just one touch to find the net in the 43rd minute. Back to square one.
So the half finished 1-1. Video technology had denied Galatasaray a second, and Barcelona punished them at the other end, which makes that disallowed goal the defining moment of the opening 45 and the incident that rewrote the closing minutes before the interval.