India’s hopes of making it to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers were dashed by the painful 1-2 loss to Qatar. They never fully recovered from that disputed goal.
At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday, during India’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match versus Qatar, a huge commotion broke out. After scoring a contentious goal to tie the match, the home team scored the game’s last goal. India’s World Cup dream came to an end with the painful 1-2 loss, as they were ousted from the tournament in the second round. They were never able to recover from the disputed goal.
In the 37th minute of the match, Lallianzuala Chhangte gave India a well-deserved lead. Looking to write a major victory in their first game following Sunil Chhetri’s retirement, the Gurpreet Singh Sandhu-led squad lost the plot in a moment of controversy.
Yousef Aymen scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute of the game after it was evident that the ball had left the play. Aymen attempted to head the ball, but Gurpreet stopped it at the far post. The ball then went under him and over the line, suggesting a corner for Qatar. However, Aymen knocked the ball in for a goal after Al-Hashmi backheeled it into the box.
The Indian players fiercely objected, and Sandhu ran towards the line referee to argue that the ball was out of play as the Qatari players broke into a frenzied celebration. However, none of the match officials gave the requests any consideration. Furthermore, India was harmed by “pathetic refereeing” in the absence of a VAR ruling.
