Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has supported the referee’s decision to award Argentina a penalty during their FIFA World Cup clash against Austria.
The former Nigeria defender described the decision as clear and correct, following a VAR review during the match.
The incident happened early in the game when Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martínez went down inside the penalty area after a challenge from an Austrian defender.
VAR review leads to penalty decision
After reviewing the situation, referee Amin Omar awarded Argentina a penalty.
Lionel Messi stepped up to take the spot kick but failed to convert the opportunity.
Speaking during his analysis on Super
Sport, Troost-Ekong explained that there was obvious contact on Martínez and that the main question was whether the challenge happened before or after the forward touched the ball.
“The contact was clear. The only question was the timing of the tackle in relation to the ball,” Troost-Ekong said.He added that while the review took time, the final decision was accurate.
Messi still makes World Cup history
Despite missing the penalty, Messi produced another influential performance for Argentina.
The captain scored twice as Argentina defeated Austria 2-0, helping his team continue their World Cup campaign.
The goals also saw Messi set a new FIFA World Cup milestone by reaching 18 goals in the competition and extending his scoring run across six consecutive World Cup matches.