Explained | What was the refereeing controversy that led to India's defeat against Qatar in the FIFA WC Qualifiers?
Despite leading for over an hour against Qatar in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash on Tuesday, the Indian men's senior team ended the night with a 1-2 defeat at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha. The collapse, for once, wasn't their own doing.
A blunder from the linesman in the 75th minute allowed the Qataris to crawl back into the clash and restore parity. The Blue Tigers were left distraught by the decision and before they could recover from the slump, the hosts scored a second and ended India's dream of making it through the next round of qualification stages.
The Igor Stimac-coached outfit finished third in the Group A standings, behind league leaders Qatar and Kuwait, who conjured a thrilling victory over Afghanistan in the other final matchday fixture.
A look at the controversial call from the linesman in the WC Qualifier clash between Qatar and India
In the 75th minute, Qatar was awarded a free kick in the opposition half. The ball soared towards Youssef Ayman, who stealthily darted towards the back post. His initial headed attempt was timid and Indian shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu thwarted it away. Ricochetting off the Indian gloveman's arms, the ball visibly trickled out of play.
But while the Indian players paused for the whistle to indicate a corner, Alhashmi Mohialdin retrieved the ball from beyond the line and squared it to Ayman, who calmly tucked it into the open net. The camera cut to the referee and Kim Woosung opined that the goal would stand.
The Blue Tigers were left bamboozled as Gurpreet raced towards the linesman to protest. But after consultation with the linesman, the referee stuck to his initial decision.
Later, multiple replays showed the ball had crossed the line and should've rightfully been adjudged as a corner kick. But with no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) or goal-line technology to come to India's rescue, they were compelled to swallow the controversial decision and play on.
But the blunder had left them rattled and more misery followed, as Ahmed Al-Rawi scored in the 85th to dampen India's qualification aspirations.