Spain thought it had taken the lead when Marc Cucurella rattled the net from a corner kick, in their round of 32 match in the FIFA World Cup 2026, against Austria in Los Angeles on Thursday.
However, the goal was eventually disallowed, leaving several fans in the stadium confused.
Marc Cucurella scored Spain’s opening goal against Austria, which is eventually disallowed, in their FIFA World Cup round of 32 match.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images via AFP
Marc Cucurella scored Spain’s opening goal against Austria, which is eventually disallowed, in their FIFA World Cup round of 32 match.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images via AFP
Just before the half-hour mark, Spain got a corner, which fell for Cucurella in front of a penalty box meleee. The Real Madrid full-back rifled it into the net and began celebrating when referee Glenn Nyberg chalked the goal out.
Why was Marc Cucurella’s goal disallowed?
Nyberg felt there was a foul on the build-up of the goal, with Pau Cubarsi fouling Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
According to Rule 10.1 of the laws of football, set by International Football Association Board, ‘a goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no offence has been committed by the team scoring the goal.’
Cubarsi’s foul violated the last clause, giving the referee and Video Assistant Referee team enough reason to disallow the goal.
Published on Jul 03, 2026
