India’s head coach Igor Stimac shared his disappointment after the team’s heart-breaking 2-1 loss against Qatar in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers second-round clash on Tuesday. The Blue Tigers took a lead as Lallianzuala Chhangte scored in the opening half.
However, Qatar equalized in a controversial manner as Youssef Aymen and Ahmed Al-Rawi combined to score for the hosts. On replays, it was clear that the ball had crossed the endline after going through Indian captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s legs. But, the linesman and the main referee adjudged it in Qatar’s favor, which was shocking.
As there is no VAR in the qualifiers, India was robbed in daylight and it was disappointing for all the fans. With this loss, India was knocked of the World Cup qualifiers and their dream of making to the third round for the first time, was also squashed.
The Croatian said all of India can be proud his team’s performance against Qatar.
“Hard feelings at the end of the game. I would say that there is nothing I should complain about my boys’ display today. They were fantastic. All Indian fans can be proud of the team today.
“We controlled the major parts of the game, with a high press that put the Qatari into positions to give away balls easily. We should’ve been 3-1 up in the first half and have killed the game. But something is missing in Indian football and that is clinical reactions inside the box, which is coming out as a result of not having the Indian players playing these positions in the ISL.
“Qatar was lucky tonight, especially because they came from 1-0 down with an irregular goal. I have just seen the replay and can confirm that the whole ball was over the line and the goal was still given. It’s something that shouldn’t be happening in modern football as that goal changed everything in this game.
“I feel sad because of that because I think as an organization, FIFA has enough power and resources to at least in the crucial games and the World Cup qualifiers use VAR and that should be implemented as soon as possible.
