Libya U20 players stunned as offside decision sparks viral moment

A video showing Libya’s Under-20 players appearing to misunderstand the offside rule has gone viral after their match against Tunisia on Saturday afternoon.

A goal scored in the final minute of added time was correctly ruled out for offside, despite initially appearing legitimate. Libya had launched a counter-attack, with one of their players receiving the ball on the left wing while a Tunisia defender remained behind him.

The assistant referee immediately raised the flag, prompting angry reactions from members of the Libyan staff and leaving the player whose goal had been disallowed standing on the pitch in disbelief.

The explanation for the decision lay in the previous phase of play. Tunisia had won a corner and, because a 1-1 draw was not enough to secure qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, their goalkeeper had gone forward into the penalty area.

When possession changed hands, the goalkeeper had not yet returned to his own half. That meant only one Tunisia defender was behind the ball when the Libyan attack began.

The attacking player was therefore beyond the second-last opponent and was in an offside position. The players had apparently failed to take into account that the goalkeeper was still upfield.

The Tunisian attacker could also have avoided the situation by slowing down briefly and remaining in his own half, but instead continued forward at full speed and was clearly offside. The incident suggested that the rule had not been understood in the heat of the moment.

The assistant referee who disallowed the goal was quickly confronted by a group of furious staff members. Following a brief explanation, the match resumed.

The game finished 1-1, a result that meant both Libya’s Under-20 side and Tunisia would be eliminated from qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The episode, captured on video, has since attracted widespread attention because of the players’ apparent confusion over how the position of the goalkeeper affected the offside decision.