Cape Town — Argentina were wrongfully awarded a first-half penalty which turned the match on its head and caused Croatia to suffer an eventual 3-0 defeat in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final in Qatar.
That was the view of Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright who were the analysts on duty for British television network ITV when Tuesday's World Cup semi-final was played. The trio who were household names in UK football circles have collectively played more than 1 300 Premiership games.
Up to when the penalty was awarded, Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, were holding their own against Lionel Messi & Co. However, once the penalty was awarded and Messi scored, Croatian heads dropped and that was the beginning of the end for them.
To add insult to injury, the penalty was the cue for Messi to display his ridiculous genius. He opened the way for further goals with two classy assists, and the match was no longer a contest.
The penalty was awarded after Argentina striker Julian Alvarez, with the ball at his feet, literally tried to run through Croatia goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic on his way into the penalty area. The referee deemed Livakovic had barged Alvarez and awarded a penalty, without taking the opportunity to review the incident on VAR. It was not blatantly obvious that it was a stonewall penalty.
The penalty awarded left a poor taste in the mouths of the trio, and each vented their feelings on air.
"Is he just supposed to get out of the way of the ball?" asked Neville.
“No (it should not have been a penalty), not at all. We’re right above it here, this angle is a little further away but the ‘keeper comes out, he basically just makes a movement to his right, stops himself before the actual shot is about to be taken, and Alvarez just runs into him and takes his leg away.
“This is not a penalty. What else can he do? He has to make that move to try and save the ball, he plants his feet. If he’d carried on running out and taken out Alvarez then fair enough, but he stops before it, and I don’t know if that’s a penalty.”
Wright added: “When you look at it, the centre-forward, he’s actually mis-kicked it, to be honest. If he hits it and it goes into the goal, the goalkeeper can’t do anything as you say, he stopped.
“Alvarez miskicks it, it’s not going into the goal, the goalkeeper can’t do anything else but stand his ground and he runs into him. The referee didn’t have a look (at VAR). I can’t understand it.”
Keane added his two cents' worth: “Poor defending overall to let him get a run in on goal, but I agree with the lads I don’t think it’s a penalty, where else are you supposed to go?”
The trio were miffed when former referee Peter Walton who has worked in the Premier League for just over a decade, joined the discussion as the “expert” in the studio.
He told the viewers the correct decision was made, and Wright responded “wow…wow.”
“Keano” and his former Manchester United teammate Neville were left speechless.
IOL Sport