Messi avoids red after 'clumsy' tackle as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in their World Cup opener, drawing level with Miroslav Klose on 16 tournament goals. The victory was overshadowed by a controversial moment when Messi appeared to step onto the back of Algerian centre-back Aissa Mandi’s calf with his studs, prompting immediate calls for a dismissal.

Remarkably, the referee did not even show a yellow card and VAR did not recommend a review, a decision that fuelled debate over whether leading players are judged differently on the biggest stage. ESPN FC pundits Ale Moreno and Nedum Onuoha were among those critical of the officiating.

Moreno said: "It's 100 percent a red card for Lionel Messi," adding that it "plays along this narrative that great players get preferential treatment." Onuoha noted that "in the commentary, they didn't even say anything happened" and argued VAR should have intervened.

lionel messi, hat-trick, argentina, algeria, world cup, miroslav klose, aissa mandi, red card, var, officiating