India 'Robbed' as referee gives nod to controversial goal by Qatar, knocks Blue Tigers out of FIFA World Cup qualifiers
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A major controversy erupted during India's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match against Qatar on Tuesday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. It happened after a referee gave the hosts a green signal for a controversial goal to level the contest before winning the game in the game's closing minutes. India never managed to recover from that disputed goal, and the heartbreaking 1-2 loss ended their World Cup dream, as they were eliminated from the tournament in the second round.
What happened?
It happened in the 73rd minute of the match when Yousef Aymen struck the equaliser after the ball had clearly gone out of play. Gurpreet saved the header from Aymen at the far post, before the ball trickled under him and crossed the line, implying a corner for Qatar. But Al-Hashmi backheeled the ball into the box, and Aymen tapped it in for a goal.
As Qatar players celebrated, the Indian players strongly protested, with Sandhu charging towards the line referee to explain that the ball was out of play. But none of the match officials paid any heed to the requests.
Soon after this, Ahmed Al-Rawi scored the second goal for the Asian champions in the 85th minute of the match as Qatar bounced back to claim victory.
A huge uproar was called by Indian fans calling it a daylight robbery.
What happened?
It happened in the 73rd minute of the match when Yousef Aymen struck the equaliser after the ball had clearly gone out of play. Gurpreet saved the header from Aymen at the far post, before the ball trickled under him and crossed the line, implying a corner for Qatar. But Al-Hashmi backheeled the ball into the box, and Aymen tapped it in for a goal.
As Qatar players celebrated, the Indian players strongly protested, with Sandhu charging towards the line referee to explain that the ball was out of play. But none of the match officials paid any heed to the requests.
CLEARLY NOT A GOAL......!!!!!! 😡😡😡
— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) June 11, 2024
Indian team clearly robbed off here ...WTF#IndianFootball | #QATIND | #AsianQualifier pic.twitter.com/EzeQlcreyH
Soon after this, Ahmed Al-Rawi scored the second goal for the Asian champions in the 85th minute of the match as Qatar bounced back to claim victory.
A huge uproar was called by Indian fans calling it a daylight robbery.