Lionel Messi was the standout figure in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, scoring all three goals of the match, but his performance was marred by a harsh tackle that could have resulted in a direct red card in the first half. The controversial incident occurred in the 32nd minute, when Argentina was already leading 1-0 — in a ball dispute, the captain of the albiceleste caught Aissa Mandi’s right calf with his studs, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak called a foul, Messi apologized, but VAR did not intervene. Nedum Onuoha, former Manchester City player and now an ESPN commentator, analyzed the controversial play: “In my opinion, Messi probably should have received a red card. I think he felt the moment was chaotic. When the player was on the ground, he showed a lot of concern because he knew he could be in trouble. The referee didn’t see it, but maybe VAR said: ‘No, it’s all good.’ But personally, I think it was a red card. In the commentary, they didn’t even mention that something had happened. They just said: ‘It’s good to see Messi pressing.'” Alejandro Moreno, former Venezuelan international, also criticized the double standards: “It’s a 100% red card for Lionel Messi. He should have seen it. But the most concerning thing — which reinforces the feeling that star players are treated well — is that when he almost scored a hat-trick and Zidane defended, a shot showed Gianni Infantino [FIFA president] in the stands smiling, as if to say: ‘Oh, what a shame, it was close.’ And yes, this feeds this kind of narrative: these guys are treated differently. If we see the play live, it looks like a nasty tackle, and then the replay confirms that it is a nasty tackle. Someone needs to analyze this, but why wasn’t Szymon Marciniak called? It should have been a red card for Messi. Even liking Messi a lot, it was a nasty tackle, and when you hit an opponent’s calf below the knee towards the ankle, it has to be a red card.”
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