Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 17, 2026 09:05 PM IST
In the 32nd minute. Argentina lead 1-0. Messi, challenging for the ball, studs Algeria captain Aissa Mandi on the right calf, Mandi going down in pain. Polish referee Simon Marciniak awarded the foul. No card. VAR did not intervene. Messi apologized. Mandi received treatment and continued on.
Messi then scored twice more in the second half, completing his first hat-trick in six World Cups and equaling Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament record of 16 goals.
This incident overshadowed the result even before nightfall.
On ESPN, former Venezuela international Alejandro Moreno was unequivocal. “It’s 100 per cent a red card for Lionel Messi. It should have been,” he said. “We still don’t need to see. If you watch the live video, it looks like a bad challenge. Then you watch the replay — it’s a bad challenge. Why didn’t Marciniak be called in to review it? You’re twisting someone’s calf from the knee to the ankle. It should be a red card. They play well with the treatment of this game.”
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, also on ESPN, said the referee was probably entitled to miss in real time. There was no VAR. “When the player was on the ground, you could feel Messi’s concern because he knew he had done something that could get him into trouble. I understand why the referee missed it. But for VAR to see it and say ‘no, it’s all right’ – I personally think it deserves a red card.”
No ha nacido el arbiter que le saque tarjeta roja a Messi en un Mundial. pic.twitter.com/IUnlxvrofI
— Pascal (@beltrandelrio) 17 June 2026
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A detail that sparked a wide conversation: Marciniak is the referee who officiated the 2022 World Cup final, in which Argentina beat France on penalties. Former Egyptian international Mohamed Abutrica expressed concern on beIN Sports after the final whistle, questioning how Marciniak was not called on the monitor, according to Foot Africa. There was a strong reaction on social media. “Messi is running red. No VAR check. Jesus. Just give Argentina the trophy,” read one widely shared post, according to the Daily Mail. “Let’s be honest: if anyone else had committed a foul like that, they would have been sent off. The only reason Messi is on the pitch is because he’s Messi,” said another, as reported by the Daily Star.
The controversy was highlighted by Portugal’s leading sports daily A Bola, which first published quotes from Onuoha and Moreno in support of the incident.
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Messi, who was named man of the match, addressed the goal record after the game. “It’s an honor to be there because of what it means. Being with Klose, Ronaldo (Nazario) is there too, but I don’t think it means anything, right? Mbappe is also there, because he scored two goals today, but in the end it’s just statistics,” he told the media. He did not address the tackle.
Argentina next face Austria in Group J on June 22.