Iker Casillas' surprising post about the penalty charged to Argentina against Croatia.

Argentina, with a sensational performance by Lionel Messi (a goal and an assist), reached the final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a 3-0 victory against Croatia (Julián Álvarez scored a brace). But beyond the result, there was a feeling that the story of the match could have been different due to the controversy that helped open the scoring.

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After the half-hour mark of the match, 'Spider' Álvarez attacked the ball with the intention of opening the scoring at the Iconic Lusail Stadium. However, the advance of the Manchester City forward was stopped by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. Immediately, the South American forward fell to the ground and referee Daniele Orsato awarded a penalty.

So, the members of Croatia complained because they believed that the foul did not exist. The same stance was supported by Felipe Ramos Rizo, a referee who was present at the 2002 World Cup. And the former referee was not alone, as Iker Casillas, through Twitter, joined the idea of the Mexican and Luka Modric's team.

“Important data for why the penalty should not have been awarded: The goalkeeper's right foot is always on the ground, the contact is inevitable due to the momentum of the play, the ball. There is never a trip, the contact is inevitable”, said the 58-year-old former referee through his social networks.

In the same vein, the goalkeeper who won the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 cited that message to point out: “Totally agree” and added a thumbs up emoji, to express approval. Thus, according to Ramos and Casillas, the Albiceleste should not have had that opportunity to open the scoring in the first semifinal of the tournament.

Modric explodes against the referee

In the mixed zone, the captain of the Croatian team focused on the controversial maneuver that marked the history of the match. “It's a key moment in the game, he doesn't give us a corner and awards a penalty, which for me it wasn't, because he shoots and collides with our goalkeeper. I can't believe he called that penalty. That changes the game”, he said about Álvarez's impact with Livakovic.

Then, Modric criticized Orsato for his performance: “I never talk about referees, but today it's impossible not to talk about it. He is one of the worst I know. Not only because of today's match. He has refereed me many times and I never have a good memory of him. He's a disaster”, he concluded.