The first goal by Ecuador in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup against Qatar in the third minute was ruled out after a VAR check.
Former West Ham and Everton striker Enner Valencia was in the right place at the right time to head home Felix Torres' overhead kick after Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb's questionable decision-making. VAR replays showed that Valencia was in an offside position as the rules state that two players must be behind the ball when it's played, including the goalkeeper.
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Many criticised the decision as there was a defender behind Valencia. However, as per the FIFA rules, the goal was rightly disallowed.
Why was Ecuador's goal disallowed?
The offside rule states that if the goalkeeper is the second-last opponent and you are behind him, you will be deemed as offside.
However, if two players are behind the goalkeeper, as seen in this instance, you will only be offside if you are ahead of the second-last opponent. In Ecuador’s case, Michael Estrada (No. 11) was seen ahead of the line of goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb and the next Qatar player Abdelkarim Hasan Fadlalla.
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After a check using VAR and the Semi-automatic offside technology, the goal was ruled out as Estrada was seen influencing with the follow-of play from the free-kick.
As a result, the goal was ruled out.
The call from VAR didn't stop Ecuador's attacking flow against the hosts, with Valencia tucking a penalty away after 16 minutes before adding a second after half hour. The striker now has five World Cup goals in four games.
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