When Alireza Faghani took charge of Mexico's last-16 clash with England at the Estadio Azteca on 5 July, he knew he was walking into one of the most demanding assignments of his career. What he could not have anticipated was just how eventful the next 100-plus minutes would become.
The 48-year-old Australian-Iranian official, taking charge of his third match at his fourth World Cup, arrived in Mexico City facing conditions few referees ever encounter. The Azteca sits 2,240 metres above sea level, a stadium where the hosts had not lost a competitive fixture since 2013. A violent storm delayed kickoff by an hour, adding further disruption to Faghani's preparation. Days earlier, FIFA had floated moving the kickoff six hours earlier because of extreme-weather warnings, only to abandon the idea after then-British prime minister Keir Starmer objected that it would give England less time to adjust to the altitude.
"I don't really have any superstitions, but I do like routine," Faghani said. "That routine gives me a sense of calm and helps me enter the field with a clear mind." Despite the upheaval, he insisted his job was to stay composed. "At this level, part of the job is staying calm and keeping your preparation as normal as possible, even when everything around you is changing."
The match lived up to its billing for intensity from the very first minute. Declan Rice caught an opponent high with a boot in a challenge for a loose ball, prompting Faghani to issue an early yellow card. "It was a clear yellow card for me," he explained. "It also helped everyone understand the line from the beginning." England manager Thomas Tuchel protested to the fourth official as tempers flared throughout the opening exchanges.
Amid the deafening backing Mexico's supporters gave their team - noise Faghani described as "unbelievable" - two Jude Bellingham goals put England ahead before Mexico pulled one back to make it 2-1 by the interval.
The drama escalated dramatically after the break. In the 52nd minute, England's Jarell Quansah slid in on Mexico's Jesús Gallardo in a race for the ball. Faghani initially allowed play to continue, but VAR official Nicolás Gallo Barragán sent him to the pitchside monitor. After reviewing the challenge, Faghani reversed his decision and sent off Quansah. "I saw the challenge but I didn't have a clear view of the point of contact," he said. "But now it was clear."
Down to ten men, England still extended their lead when Harry Kane converted a penalty after Anthony Gordon was fouled by Mexico's goalkeeper, making it 3-1. But Mexico responded from the spot themselves after another VAR intervention reversed Faghani's initial no-penalty call on a challenge by Kane. "Initially, from my angle, I wasn't convinced there was enough for a penalty," Faghani said, but after being shown a clearer angle by VAR, he changed his mind. Mexico converted to make it 3-2, setting up a tense finish that stretched deep into 11 minutes of added time before England held on.
After the final whistle, Tuchel was sharply critical of the officiating. "The referees are just not good enough, fourth officials are just not good enough. That's the bottom line," the England manager said, specifically questioning the penalty awarded against Kane. "Is this a clear and obvious error for the penalty? For sure not. They overturned a situation where he doesn't even give a foul."
Faghani, for his part, said he tried not to dwell on the criticism once the match ended, reflecting instead on having navigated an unusually chaotic and high-pressure occasion. "You cannot allow one decision, or even two, to affect the next one," he said of managing the game's pivotal VAR reviews.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.