Jury's out on video review experiment

PARIS - The video-technology experiment that cost France against Spain this week earned mixed reviews on Wednesday, with the trial praised for fairness but condemned for ruining the game's excitement.

France lost Tuesday's friendly 2-0 in Paris, a game in which Spain benefitted twice from crucial decisions from the video-assistant referee. An Antoine Griezmann goal for France was ruled offside after the video was reviewed, while Spain's second goal, scored by Gerard Deulofeu, was awarded by the video ref after initially being disallowed.

For the French, who decided to trial video assistance for the first time at the game, the outcome was galling, even though fans and players recognized the justice and potential benefits of the system.