Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has described the decision to award Argentina a penalty against Austria as a “simple” and correct call by referee Amin Omar during their FIFA World Cup clash.
The incident occurred early in the match when Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martínez went down inside the box following a challenge, prompting a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
After consultation, the referee pointed to the spot, although Lionel Messi failed to convert the resulting penalty.
Speaking during his analysis on Super Sport, monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com, Troost-Ekong said the contact on Martínez was evident, stressing that the key issue was only the timing of the tackle in relation to the ball.
“The moment Argentina began to impress. You see there is a tackle. It is pretty clear that there is a touch on [Lautaro] Martinez,” Troost-Ekong explained.
“The question was just whether it was before or after he got something on the ball. I think it was a simple decision by the referee, it just took a long time to get there.”
He also highlighted the role of captains in such moments, noting Austria skipper David Alaba attempted to engage the referee during the review process.
According to him, while players have the right to communicate with officials, it can often lead to frustration on the pitch.
“As a captain, you also see [David] Alaba trying to have a conversation with him and that's the role of the captain,” he added.
“You have the right to speak to the referee but sometimes it could be very dismissive of that and it can be very frustrating when you are on the pitch.”
Despite missing a penalty, Lionel Messi produced a decisive performance, scoring twice to guide Argentina to a 2-0 victory over the European side on Monday evening.
The result saw the former Barcelona forward set a new FIFA World Cup record with 18 goals, while also extending his scoring streak to six consecutive World Cup matches.
Adeyemi Adewale
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