Fans were left divided as a shambolic referee mistake during India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup qualifiers, coupled with another late goal, saw India succumb to a 2-1 loss to the Asian Champions. The loss meant that the Indian Football Team failed to qualify for the third round of the qualifiers. While some fans took to Twitter to vent out their anger on the official, others claimed that the goal hardly changed the fate of the team.
Let us take a look at the fan reactions
Did the Qatar goal change everything?
India despite starting their campaign with an away win against Kuwait, ended their journey at the bottom-placed team of the group. A 3-0 loss to Qatar in the first leg, two below-par results against depleted Afghanistan and a disappointing draw against Kuwait, pushed India to a point when a win against Qatar was the simplest way forward.
Despite the pressure, the Blue Tigers made a good start to the game, with Lallianzuala Chhangte putting them ahead in the first half. However, things changed when a controversial goal was allowed for the Asian champions. That was followed by a goal from Ahmed Al-Rawi in the 88th minute and Kuwait’s 1-0 win over Afghanistan meant that India will have to wait for another four years to have yet another chance at making history.