Date:June 19, 2024
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Indian men’s football team’s World Cup dream ends after loss to second-string Qatar
India can bemoan what could have been a famous win. But contentious goals do happen in football and captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stopped playing even though the ball was still in play according to the referees. It wasn’t just him but most of India’s defensive line that switched off – and Qatar did not. What should have been a corner, became a goal, and neither the referee nor the linesman had any of the answers that the horde of Indian players surrounding them were asking.
That Qatar goal, one that should have been not allowed but was somehow accepted in a VAR-void World Cup qualifier tie, broke down a resolute Indian second-half defensive performance and cancelled out Lallianzuala Chhangte’s first-half goal. Qatar then scored twelve minutes later to take the lead to knock the Indians out of the World Cup qualifiers in the second round.