India coach Igor Stimac condemned what he called an "irregular" goal in a 2-1 defeat at Qatar that ended his team`s World Cup 2026 qualifying hopes, saying: "It shouldn`t happen."

The loss in Doha on Tuesday dashed India`s dreams of reaching the third round of Asian qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. India scored in the first half and were on course for a footballing landmark until Youssef Ayman equalised in the 73rd minute in the FIFA World Cup qualifier.