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

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India were left heartbroken after their 2026 World Cup dreams were dashed after a controversial 'ghost goal' from Qatar on Tuesday evening.

The visitors had been looking to reach the third round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in their history as they came up against the 34th ranked team in the world.

India had been leading up until the 73rd minute thanks to Lallianzuala Chhangte's first-half strike at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

However, they were pegged back in controversial fashion as Yousef Aymen poked the ball home from close range - despite it seemingly going out of play just seconds before.

In a clip that appeared on X, India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu failed to gather the ball and, instead, watched it as rolled behind for a corner.

India suffered heartbreak in their World Cup 2026 qualification game against Qatar

The hosts netted an equaliser in India in controversial fashion after the ball appeared to go out

 Footage showed the whole ball out of play before Qatar dragged it back on and then scored

India's protests were not enough to convince officials on the night to overturn the decision

However, Qatar's quick-thinking players dragged the ball back into play and the officials failed to spot that the entire ball had in fact gone off.

While India's players stood bemused at the situation, Qatar's stars wheeled away in celebration after finding the equaliser and, later, a winner. 

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

One account that posted a clip of the incident on social media wrote: 'That's Really an Unfair and Biased Decision from Referee, This moment resulted in India’s loss 1-2 loss to Qatar'.

Another account wrote: 'MASSIVE BLUNDER FROM THE REFEREES AS THEY AWARD QATAR A GHOST GOAL

'The ball has clearly crossed the line for a goal-kick, but Qatar pull it back to tuck in what was never even supposed to be a goal! Worst refereeing'.

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