About 37 minutes had elapsed match between Poland and Argentina when Danny Makkelie, the prestigious referee After such a decisive confrontation, he put his hand to his earpiece and warned those present that he was coming to review an action on the VAR monitor. At that moment, the Argentine fans, an overwhelming majority like in no other match in this World Cup except, perhaps, the Belgium-Moroccobegan to roar and sing a song encouraging the Dutch referee to correct the decision he had made on the field.
They were moments of tension, because the video scoreboards in the stadium do not show what the referee is reviewing, they only warn, in English and Arabic, that there is a review in progress. The outburst of jubilation was immediate as soon as Makkelie pointed to the penalty spot. Thousands of cell phones were then activated to capture the moment in which Leo Messi beat Wojciech Szczesny to score the first goal for the albiceleste.
However, the phones went out of focus right away. The ’10’ had missed from eleven meters or, better written, the Juventus goalkeeper made a great save to frustrate Messi on the day when history was made, beating Maradona as the Argentine with the most matches in the World Cups: 22. If Argentina reaches the semifinals, the Rosario captain will become a world record holder, surpassing Lothar Matthäus’s 25 matches.
To the rescue of the ’10’
The advantage for Messi was that he has a team around him capable of coming to his rescue, as he has come to the team’s rescue so many times. There they were, right after the break, Nahuel Molina’s cross and Alexis Mac Allister’s bitten shot to immediately mitigate the failure of his star. “Leo’s penalty didn’t bring us down, neither us nor him, the important thing is to have that union to move on,” said the first scorer of the night afterwards.
Lewandowski, on the other hand… With the exception of Szczesny, as was demonstrated in the 974 stadium, the Barça striker is excessively alone in a Poland that has never been able to reciprocate his talent. And despite these poor performances by the Polish team, clinging to both ends of the field, France awaits you in the round of 16 the next Sunday.
The same burst of joy that the Argentines experienced with their goals, with that VAR review, was felt by the Poles when the Saudi Arabian goal came in the lusail stadium. Actually, the goal did not change anything in the convoluted war to qualify for the round of 16, but the wound always comforts the enemy.
The yellow mess
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Because for many minutes, while both games were 2-0, Poland and Mexico were tied on everything: points, goal difference, goals for (and, therefore, against) and a tie in the particular duel. The yellow cards decided at that time, with a balance that favored the Poles: five (after the one Krychowiak saw) for seven Mexicans. “Lewandowski asked me for information about it, I gave it to him and he passed it on to the others,” Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz said afterwards.
It was not a new situation. It already happened to Japan and Senegal (in favor of the Asians) in the 2018 World Cup, but yes extraordinary. Any goal from Argentina, Poland or Mexico would have changed everything. But it was ultimately Saudi Arabia who scored, much to Lewandowski’s relief.