Qatar score controversial ‘ghost goal’ in their 2-1 win to knock India out of World Cup 2026 qualifiers… with linesman failing to spot the ball going out of play MOMENTS before the hosts scored

India were left heartbroken after their 2026 World Cup dreams were dashed following a controversial Qatar ‘ghost goal’ on Tuesday night.

The visitors were looking to reach the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying for the first time in their history, facing the 34th-ranked team in the world.

India led until the 73rd minute thanks to Lallianzuala Chhangte’s goal in the first half at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

However, they were controversially tied when Yousef Aymen poked the ball in from close range, despite apparently having gone offside a few seconds earlier.

In a clip that appeared on xIndian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu failed to collect the ball and instead saw it roll back for a corner.

However, Qatar’s quick players put the ball back into play and the referees did not realize that the entire ball was actually gone.

While India’s players remained baffled by the situation, Qatar’s stars walked away to celebrate after finding the equalizer and, later, the winning goal.

When the Indian players appealed, the referee and linesman refused to overturn their decision.

An account that posted a clip of the incident on social media wrote: “That is truly an unfair and biased decision by the referee. This moment resulted in India’s 1-2 loss to Qatar.”

Another story wrote: ‘HUGE MISTAKE BY THE REFEREES IN AWARDING QATAR A GHOST GOAL

“The ball clearly crossed the line for a goal kick, but Qatar pulled it back to score what was never supposed to be a goal. Worst officiating.”

Despite the gulf in class between the two teams, India are likely still proud of their performance against the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions.