Messi slams referee after Argentina storm into World Cup semis: FIFA cannot put somebody who is not as much as activity

FIFA World Cup, Quarter-final: Referee Mateu Lahoz dished out a complete of 15 yellow playing cards within the Argentina vs Netherlands match. Argentina beat Netherlands within the penalty shootout.

New Delhi ,UPDATED: Dec 10, 2022 07:45 IST

Messi arguing with referee Lahoz within the World Cup quarter-final. (AP Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Lionel Messi’s quest to win the FIFA World Cup lives on as Argentina beat Netherlands on penalties 3-4 to storm into the semi-finals.

Netherlands took Argentina into the penalty shootout after Denzel Dumfries equalised the rating within the additional time 2-2. However, Lautaro Martinez helped Argentina to take a step additional within the match as he scored the profitable penalty.

The quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands noticed some sensible tactical battle however there was one one who ultimately grew to become the protagonist – the Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz, who dished out a complete of 15 yellow playing cards.

Messi, who has had fairly a historical past with Lahoz, didn’t step again after the match and mentioned: “I don’t want to talk about the referee because you can’t be honest. If you talk they sanction you, FIFA must think about it, they can’t put a referee like that for these instances, they can’t put a referee who isn’t up to the task.”

During a match between Barcelona and Osasuna in 2020, Lahoz booked Messi for eradicating his jersey when the Argentine paid tribute to Diego Maradona after his demise. In one other occasion, the Spanish referee disallowed Messi’s aim for Barcelona in opposition to Atletico Madrid throughout the 2013-14 La Liga. The match led to a 1-1 draw and Atletico Madrid went onto win the title.

“But we were scared before the game because we knew what was coming [with Mateu Lahoz]. They cannot put a referee like that on this game when he is not up to the level,” Messi added.

Meanwhile, Messi mentioned Argentina felt the presence of Maradona after they beat Netherlands to succeed in the semi-finals. “Diego is watching us from heaven. He is pushing us and I really hope this stays the same until the end,” Messi mentioned.

Argentina will tackle the 2018 runners-up Croatia for a spot within the remaining on December 14 (12:30 AM IST).

Published On:

Dec 10, 2022