Manchester United icon, Peter Schmeichel, has expressed his frustration regarding the referee’s decision to validate Lionel Messi’s record-breaking goal against Austria, asserting that the goal should not have been allowed.
Schmeichel highlighted a foul on Xaver Schlager during the sequence leading to Messi’s goal and contended that the referee ought to have halted the play.
In a discussion on FOX Sports, Schmeichel remarked that the referee overlooked a clear foul on Schlager, and VAR also failed to fulfill its responsibilities.
He maintained that they should have alerted the referee about the incident and stated:
“I don’t believe that goal should have counted. Consider how they reached the [penalty] box; it was a kick from behind on Xaver Schlager.
“This constitutes a free kick, as Mac Allister brought the player down. That should have resulted in a free kick. VAR should have intervened. This is a clear and obvious error by the referee, and I feel somewhat frustrated because of it.”
Lionel Messi missed an early penalty but scored in the 39th minute, surpassing Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals.
The Argentine added another goal in the dying moments of the match, securing a 2-0 victory for Argentina and increasing his tally to 18.