Lionel Messi Escapes Direct Red Card After 'Nasty Foul' in Argentina's World Cup Opener

Marking his 200th international cap for Argentina, Lionel Messi appeared visibly motivated in what is expected to be his final World Cup. The Inter Miami superstar was omnipresent on the field and even scored twice within half an hour, though one goal was disallowed for offside.

However, after thirty minutes, attention also turned to an incident where Messi seemed to push the boundaries. The Argentine attempted to win the ball from Mandi but, in doing so, planted his studs firmly on the Algerian defender's Achilles tendon. The Algerian player immediately went down, while the referee's response was notably lenient.

The VAR also failed to intervene, allowing Messi to escape without a card. This surprised NOS commentator Arman Avsaroglu, who did not spare the global star. "He steps on Mandi's Achilles tendon with his studs; that's a nasty foul from Lionel Messi," he stated during the broadcast. "That should be punished with more than just a warning. Messi deserved at least a yellow card here."

This isn't the first time Messi has benefited from questionable refereeing decisions during a World Cup. During the 2022 World Cup, the Argentine also got away with one against the Netherlands. In the quarter-final, he conspicuously handled the ball in a duel with Nathan Aké after halftime. To the disbelief of Virgil van Dijk and the Dutch players, referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz also did not issue a yellow card then.

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