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5 episodes that show Argentina was favored to reach the World Cup final

2026-07-17 18:43:11Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Doubts about the (alleged) refereeing favoritism that Argentina has received in the World Cup are poisoning the atmosphere before the final with Spain. The defeat against England, despite Tuchel's mistakes, confirmed the very high level of the national team of coach Lionel Scaloni, which has extraordinary quality and is united around its leader: Messi, the new D10s, who at the age of 39 is living a second youth in the World Cup to realize the last historic undertaking of his career.

Among so many positive notes, there is only one that disrupts the harmony. It is noisy, disturbing. It fuels further doubts about the way FIFA has managed the tournament, after the very strong controversy over the interventions of President Donald Trump, even in the technical and disciplinary aspects.

Between the second yellow card denied to Enzo Fernandez against England and Messi's intervention against Algeria (which many believed deserved a red card), the entire history of protests against the Albicelestes is summarized.

Incomprehensible tolerance or misinterpretation of the rules. In both cases, the criteria used by the referees against Messi were immediately apparent in Argentina's debut against Algeria: Pulga was criticized for a tackle from behind, with his leg up, on Aissa Mandi's calf, which was not even punished with a yellow card.

The noise about the level of tolerance towards South Americans and, in particular, towards the former Barcelona player increased after the match with Austria. The action that led to the advantage goal scored by Messi ended up at the center of the debate. The contact in the limit between Mac Allister and Xaver Schlager was considered by many as a foul that should have led to the goal being canceled, but neither the referee nor the VAR saw any reason to review the episode.

The round of 16 match against Egypt is perhaps the most controversial episode of the tournament. With Argentina at a 1-0 disadvantage, Messi misses a penalty and Mostafa Zico scores a possible 2-0 goal for the Africans. VAR calls on referee François Letexier, who determines a foul in the attack on Lisandro Martinez and disallows the goal. The Selección overturns everything to 2-2 and wins in extra time with a goal by Enzo Fernandez. Celebration for the Argentines, anger and protests for the Egyptians, who also requested an ungiven penalty against Mohamed Salah. “Strange things have happened that the whole world saw…” declared coach Hassan, who spoke openly about the preferential treatment given to Argentina.

In the quarter-finals, another “help”. Argentina was superior to Switzerland, but during the match an episode occurred that tilted the balance even more. Referee João Pinheiro initially punished Leandro Paredes with a yellow card, but VAR intervened due to an error in identification. After a review, the referee canceled the card for the Argentine and punished Breel Embolo for simulation (second yellow card and sending off). A decision that caused criticism and debate about the way the IFAB protocol was implemented.

The semi-final win over England was not spared from controversy, even for the “dirty tricks” denounced by the British. After less than three minutes, Enzo Fernandez hit Anderson in the neck: the footage seems to clearly show that the action was deliberate, from behind and without any opportunity to reach the ball. Why was he not even punished with a yellow card? The same question arises for another Fernandez tackle on Bellingham in the hottest moments of the match. Both episodes, according to critics, deserved a yellow card: the first for unsportsmanlike behavior, the second for careless play.


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