A player who just stood by and watched was also penalized for offside, causing the Chinese team to lose the match.

China team had their goal disallowed.

The first goal to be cancelled at the 2023 Asian Cup came in the match between China and Tajikistan last night (January 13). The Chinese team played poorly for most of the match but scored from a set piece. From a corner kick by a teammate, Zhu Chenjie jumped high and headed the ball into the Tajikistan net.

However, the Chinese players failed to celebrate in this situation. After consulting VAR and reviewing the video, the referee decided to cancel the goal due to an offside. Notably, the person who committed the foul in this situation was not Zhu Chenjie - the player who made the shot.

The referee determined that Jiang Guangtai (a naturalized Chinese English player, also known as Tyias Browning) was involved in the incident, even though the defender wearing the number 2 shirt almost just stood still and watched the ball go into the net.

Unfortunately for Jiang Guangtai, however, his standing still was actually preventing his opponent from getting involved in the play. The Chinese defender's backing movement - as if avoiding the ball - accidentally pushed a Tajikistan player who was marking him back.

In theory, the Tajik player could have made a clearance - although it was unlikely to have been successful - if Jiang Guangtai's large body had not blocked it. That was enough for the referee to determine that Jiang Guangtai had participated in the play, preventing the opponent from playing the ball. The Chinese defender was in an offside position at the time, so he was naturally considered to have committed a foul.

It can be said that the referee's decision cost the Chinese team the victory because this was the only time the players of both teams put the ball in the opponent's net. The Tajikistan team created more chances but could not take advantage of any of them due to poor finishing. The match between China and Tajikistan ended in a 0-0 draw.