Lionel Messi provided two assists as Argentina progressed to the World Cup final over England, but he may have committed a foul in the build-up to their second goal. Some believe a stamp by Messi on Djed Spence was missed by officials, sparking outrage on social media.
Incident in Build-Up to Winner
The incident occurred in the build-up to Messi providing the assist to Lautaro Martinez, whose goal sent Argentina into the World Cup final. Argentina came from behind after Anthony Gordon had put England ahead. Thomas Tuchel's side sat back to defend their lead but welcomed pressure from Argentina.
Messi first supplied Enzo Fernandez with the ball to restore parity before Martinez scored a stoppage-time winner. The header sparked jubilant celebrations and a few fiery flare-ups between the sides.
Fan Outrage on Social Media
Some fans have taken issue with Messi's collision with Spence, sparking controversy and claims the goal should have been looked at closer by VAR. "I thought Argentina had won the game against England without so much referee help," said one fan. "But after seeing Enzo's blow to the back of the neck and now this stomp by Messi on Spence in the second goal, I'm seriously doubting it now."
"Not a single repetition in the broadcast, but the one from Egypt they repeated 100 times," added another. "Messi's stamp on Spence before Lautaro's goal, why does VAR only work when the goal is against Argentina?" fumed a social media user.
Comparisons to Previous Incidents
"That's a clear foul," claimed one viewer. Another said: "What is the use of VAR if they can't spot something like this." A further fan pointed out the contradiction in how a similar incident was dealt with when Egypt were denied a goal against Argentina. "Zico's goal gets disallowed for a stamp 30m away Argentina's goal line... but Messi doing this less than a meter from England's goal line in the buildup to the winner isn't even reviewed," they wrote.
It's not the first time Messi has come under scrutiny for an off-the-ball stamp. The Algerian Football Federation filed a complaint with FIFA after their defeat to Argentina. It was said to be particularly focused on the challenge made by Messi, which caught Algeria captain Aissa Mandi on his right calf and Achilles tendon. On that occasion, the former Barcelona star had his studs up. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak did not punish Messi despite awarding Algeria a free kick.
Upcoming Matches
Defending champions Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final, with England taking on France in the third-place bronze medal match.
