The 2022 World Cup is underway in Qatar, with the host nation facing Ecuador in Group A action. Things got off to a hectic start as the visitors seemingly scored a goal just five minutes into the game. But after a VAR — or Video Assistant Referee — review, the goal was wiped off for being offside.
At first glance, this seemed impossible with a plethora of Qatari defenders in the box. Per Law 11 of FIFA’s Laws of the Game, “A player is in an offside position if he (any part of the head, feet or body) is closer to the opponent’s goal line than the second to last defender and the ball – and he is in the opponent’s half of the field.”
