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Lionel Messi may be celebrating his hat-trick, but he owes a significant debt of gratitude to head referee Szymon Marciniak – at least, that's the opinion of former German elite referee Patrick Ittrich.
The Argentina captain scored all three goals in the 3-0 victory over Algeria in the world champions' opening match of the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. However, with the score at 1-0, he committed an extremely reckless foul on Aïssa Mandi, for which – surprisingly – he didn't even receive a caution from Marciniak.
In the 31st minute, Messi kicked Mandi in the back in a situation where the ball was deep in Algeria's half, posing no immediate threat. The Inter Miami forward dug his studs into the Algerian player's calf, causing Mandi's ankle to buckle unpleasantly under the pressure.
"For me, that's a red card. We had many similar situations in the Bundesliga where this was the punishment," Ittrich stated.
"According to the rules, it's a clear red card. If I had been on the field, I would have sent Messi off. I believe if Marciniak had shown a red card, VAR wouldn't have had the opportunity to intervene," the former referee added.
With his subsequent two goals in the match, Messi drew level with German football legend Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts. Both players now have 16 goals.
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