India was facing Qatar away from home and needed a win to make it to the third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers for the very first time in its history.

However, despite leading through Lallianzuala Chhangte but Qatar equalised via a hugely controversial goal.

In the 73rd minute, Yousef Aymen puts the ball into the net for the hosts. The Indian players thought that the ball had gone out of play after Gurpreet had saved a header from Aymen and the ball trickled out of play. But the whistle does not come and Qatar’s defender Al Hassan pulls the ball inside and squares it to Aymen, who slots home from close range.

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The Indian players had completely stopped playing as the ball was visibly out of play. Despite protest from the Indian players the match officials awards the goal to Qatar.

South Korean referee Kim Woo-sung consulted with the lineman and stayed with his initial decision.

The second round matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers doesn’t have the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

What is VAR

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is a technology-aided officiating system intended to assist the on-field referees in a football match.