Millions of French television viewers were delusional for minutes on Wednesday evening that their national team had scored a point against Tunisia. The channel TF1 started the commercial break too early at the end of the match, after which Antoine Griezmann’s late 1-1 was still rejected by a VAR intervention. “Many French viewers think it ended 1-1. Bunkers,” says correspondent Jurriaan van Wessem on Twitter.
The French B team that Didier Deschamps sent into the field could not impress Tunisia for a minute. Les Blues, who had already qualified for the last 16 at the World Cup, were on their way to a 1-0 defeat by a goal from Wahbi Kazri. In the absolute final phase, substitute Griezmann still seemed to score a point, but referee Matthew Conger withdrew the goal after minutes of deliberation due to offside in the run-up. Probably because the match, as so often at this World Cup, was running late, French TV had already started the advertisement.
Unique flaw in TF1, where after Griezmann’s goal the broadcaster thinks the game is over and sends an ad break into the air the moment the goal is revoked by the VAR. Many French viewers think it ended 1-1. Tinkerers.
— Jurriaan van Wessem (@JurrVanWessem) November 30, 2022
It is not the first time that TF1 has made a mistake, Van Wessem recalls. “29 years ago, the channel already celebrated the qualification for the 1994 World Cup in September, until a Dutch journalist laughingly calculated that France really needed one more point for qualification. They didn’t think that was such an important detail at TF1.”
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