Football fans have reacted to the bizarre offside giving against Ecuador in the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
It took just two minutes of this hotly debated World Cup to produce a moment so baffling, so inexplicable, that football fans all over the world were left scratching their heads.
It came when Ecuador, playing the host nation Qatar, was awarded a free kick just inside opposition’s territory.
Enner Valencia could have had a hat-trick, too. The former Everton and West Ham striker scored a penalty after 13 minutes, having been brought down in the area by Saad Al-Sheeb – and he managed to double La Tri’s lead 20 minutes later with a stunning bullet header around eight yards from goal – but it’s the opening finish, ruled out by the seven-strong VAR team, that has caused the most conversation.
Valencia was deemed to be offside after his knee was seen to have strayed over the dreaded line. But it seems not all agreed with the decision
A major let-off for Qatar just moments into the biggest game in their history.
Why was Ecuador’s goal ruled out for offside?
They told us that once the football kicked off, all the issues and controversy would be forgotten. As it turned out, the controversy was only just beginning.
It came the cross, the Qatari keeper struggled to reach the ball, and moments later we had our first goal as Enner Valencia headed into an empty net.
After a minute of confusion, the referee indicated that the goal would not stand, with offside given as the reason.
Yet when the replays were shown, there initially appeared to be no offside to be found – nor any other infringement that could have seen the goal disallowed.
It was another 10 minutes before the replay was shown again, revealing that an Ecuador player had in fact been offside when the free-kick was taken – if only by a kneecap’s length.
The offside call released by VAR. pic.twitter.com/ibdL5opzhw
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 20, 2022
