Why did the U23 Indonesian player's throw-in straight into the net not count as a goal?

Indonesia U23 entered the final match of the group stage against Jordan U23 at 10:30 p.m. on April 22. Coach Shin Tae-yong and his team entered the match confidently from the first minutes, even scoring early on. However, this was a goal that the team of the archipelago nation did not score.

Indonesia's throw-in specialist Pratama Arhan made a powerful hand pass straight into the opponent's penalty area. The ball did not touch any player from U23 Indonesia or U23 Jordan but flew straight into the goal. This is a rare situation in football.

Pratama Arhan throws the ball straight into the goal.

It seemed like the goal would come early for U23 Indonesia, but the referee waved his hand, not recognizing this goal by Pratama Arhan. The match continued immediately after that.

The throw-in goal of the young team of the archipelago was not recognized because the referee had followed the basic rules. According to the football law issued by IFAB, the throw-in is considered a form of restarting the match. From the throw-in, the ball went directly into the goal, the goal was not recognized.

U23 Indonesia entered the quarterfinals of the 2024 U23 Asia.

In the spirit of the general rules of football, goals can only be scored with legal playing parts of the ball (own goals are not included), and the hand is not one of them. The rules do not recognize goals from throw-ins or goalkeepers kicking the ball into the opponent's goal with their hands - although such plays are unlikely.

Therefore, Pratama Arhan's goal is only considered valid if the ball from the throw-in touches any other player from either team before entering the net.

Despite not scoring a goal, U23 Indonesia had no regrets. The team from the archipelago defeated U23 Jordan 4-1, thereby winning the right to enter the quarterfinals of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship. Coach Shin Tae-yong and his team finished the group stage in second place, behind host U23 Qatar.