Lionel Messi has started his final World Cup in expected fashion, scoring in Argentina's opening game against Saudi Arabia. The South American side were awarded a penalty in the first half after Saudi Arabia were adjudged to have held Leandro Paredes in the box.
The way that the penalty was won however was quickly put under the spotlight by football fans. In England's game against Iran, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was involved in a similar incident in the box as he was held by an Iran defender, but VAR ruled that it was not a penalty.
On commentary, Lee Dixon was quick to ask the question: "Obviously wasn’t watching last night then with Harry Maguire and that wasn’t given. Very similar incident, all you want is a bit of consistency, eh?"
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ITV's Refereeing expert Peter Walton however gave an answer to why the penalty had been given: "It comes as no surprise this is a directive from FIFA pre-tournament as a point of reference, blocking and pulling from free-kicks and corners into the penalty area would be dealt with quite seriously. As we saw here, you can see the Saudi Arabian defender has no eyes for the ball and pulls the defender over, quite rightly a penalty."
However, armed with Walton's explanation, fans were only more aggrieved that the penalty for Maguire was not given. They took to social media to voice their displeasure:
This likely won't be the last time that fans are at odds with a decision made during the World Cup.
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