World Cup 2022: why there was an offside at the gate denied to Ecuador

Target action and the dispute that arises. The opening match of the World Cup in Qatar has already made a lot of noise. From the 6th minute of the game, with a long-range free kick from Ecuador, the ball hit the Qatari zone. The host nation’s goalkeeper then approached the Ecuadorian player to appear to clear the ball. The latter then headed towards Félix Torres, who then attempted to recover, which ended the race with a header from Valencia for an assist.

The only problem is, the chief referee, Mr. Orsato, was warned by the video referee about an obscure but real offside. To understand this, you have to look at this image during the aerial duel and understand two things: firstly, since the Qatar goalkeeper has come out of his cage, he is no longer the “last defender” and the outside line. – the game is most likely designed at the level of the lower back.

Then, and it’s not easy to see in the picture, there are two Ecuadorian players hiding in the area. Behind the player from Ecuador who jumped to play the duel with his head (indicated by the blue arrow), his teammate Estrada is hiding, but we can clearly see his feet touching the ground. His right foot, circled in red, is also in an offside position when his teammate heads off the ball.

After a bounce and in confusion, Estrada finally catches the ball with his head to deflect it towards his teammate. During this time, no one touched the ball to put it back in play, so the Ecuadorian and his leg should be considered out of play. Mr. Orsato’s decision not to allow the goal is correct. Below is the action to be reviewed in its entirety.

Recall that for the first time in this World Cup, offsides are semi-automatic thanks to the connected ball.