How Referee Improvements Are Helping World Cup Matches 'Flow Better'

New strict red-card rule: covering your mouth while speaking to an opponent now triggers a straight red — as seen when Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón was sent off — to stop hidden abuse or taunting.
Time-wasting crackdown to speed up games: injured players or slow subs can be sidelined briefly, and goal-kick delays can even be turned into corners (used in Morocco vs. Scotland).
VAR has bigger powers: officials can now review last touch, out-of-bounds and whether an attacker blocks a keeper’s view — a check that overturned an offside and kept the U.S. goal vs. Australia.