Nigeria just barely qualified for the round of 16, but Scotland did not survive its penalty-kick review.

After taking a 3-0 lead against Argentina on Wednesday in Paris, Scotland still held a 3-2 edge in the 85th minute. But Argentina was awarded a penalty kick after referee Ri Hyang-ok of North Korea took an extended look at replays of a sliding tackle in the penalty area by Sophie Howard on Aldana Cometti.

Alexander stopped Florencia Bonsegundo’s initial penalty kick, but she was called for an infraction that, depending on the replay angle, looked either obvious or nonexistent. Bonsegundo converted the retake, and the game finished in a 3-3 tie.

The match also apparently finished ahead of schedule. Though four minutes of added time were announced (ungenerous in light of all the screen time logged by officials), players complained that Ri had stopped the match before even four minutes had elapsed.

“For me, the referee lost total control of the match in the last few minutes,” said Leanne Crichton, a midfielder for Scotland. “You ask us as players to deal with that pressure in that moment and control our emotions, and I think tonight the referee was the only person on the pitch that was unable to do that. And it was in a vital moment in the game.”

FIFA does not allow referees to speak with the news media, but it seems fair to wonder whether Ri’s disorientation was due in part to the lingering effects of managing V.A.R. reviews and player protests down the stretch.

Is the system being used too frequently?

“For me, tonight, I think V.A.R. has controlled the game, and I don’t think the referee has controlled the game in the final minutes,” Crichton said. “And for me that’s very difficult because as a player you cannot even communicate with the referee in the closing minutes of the games. She’s cost us four minutes to be added on because of the chat that is going on in her ear. I would like the referee to referee the match, and if she really needs help, then go to V.A.R. and look at that. But if you don’t need V.A.R., you don’t need to go to it.”