World Cup: Ex-Super Eagles star, Troost-Ekong reacts to Lionel Messi’s penalty against Austria

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has reacted to the decision to award Argentina a penalty against Austria, saying it was a “straightforward” and accurate judgment by referee Amin Omar during their FIFA World Cup encounter.

It happened early in the match when Inter Milan forward, Lautaro Martínez, fell inside the penalty area following a challenge, which led to a review by VAR.

After deliberation, the referee awarded the penalty, although Lionel Messi was unable to convert it.

In his analysis on Super Sport, Troost-Ekong said that the contact on Martínez was clear, emphasizing that the primary concern was the timing of the tackle in relation to the ball.

“The moment Argentina started to show their quality, you can see there is a tackle. It is quite evident that there is contact with Martinez,” Troost-Ekong articulated.

“The only question was whether it occurred before or after he made contact with the ball. I believe it was a straightforward decision by the referee, although it took a considerable amount of time to reach that conclusion.”

Despite missing the penalty, Lionel Messi delivered a pivotal performance, scoring twice to lead Argentina to a 2-0 victory over the European team on Monday evening.

This outcome allowed the former Barcelona forward to establish a new FIFA World Cup record with 18 goals, while also extending his scoring streak to six consecutive World Cup matches.