Libya U20s offside confusion goes viral after Tunisia draw

A video showing Libya’s Under-20 players protesting a correctly disallowed goal against Tunisia has gone viral after an apparent misunderstanding of the offside rule.

The incident came in the final minute of added time during Saturday afternoon’s match. With the score at 1-1, Libya appeared to have scored a dramatic winner on the counter-attack.

The move initially seemed legitimate. A Libyan player received the ball on the left wing while a Tunisian defender remained behind him. However, the assistant referee’s flag was raised for offside, and the goal was ruled out.

The reason was linked to an earlier Tunisian corner. Because a 1-1 draw was not enough for Tunisia to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, the Tunisian goalkeeper had gone forward for the set piece.

When possession changed hands, the goalkeeper had not yet returned to his own half. That left only one Tunisian defender behind the ball, a detail the Libyan players appeared not to have taken into account.

The attacking player could also have avoided the situation by slowing down briefly and remaining in his own half. Instead, he continued forward at full speed and was clearly in an offside position.

The decision was not immediately understood by the Libyan side. A group of angry members of the coaching staff confronted the assistant referee who had raised the flag, while the attacker whose goal had been disallowed stood on the pitch looking devastated.

After a short explanation, play resumed. The match ended 1-1, a result which meant that both Libya’s Under-20 team and Tunisia’s Under-20 team were eliminated from qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The footage has since attracted widespread attention because of the players’ reaction to an offside decision that was, under the circumstances, correct.