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Argentina were awarded a controversial penalty during the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, which was converted by Lionel Messi in the 23rd minute of the game.
Angel Di Maria produced a nice piece of skill to leave Ousmane Dembele wrong-footed on the left side of the French box. Di Maria entered the area and fell down.
While no clear contact could be seen, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a spot kick. Messi took charge and cinverted it from the spot by sending Hugo Lloris the wrong way. The referee's decision has come under inevitable scrutiny.
La Albiceleste were awarded a controversial penalty during the game against Croatia as well. The decision changed the course of the game. The same story has repeated itself.
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Fans were livid with it as they have grown tired of seeing Lionel Messi scoring from the spot. Out of his six goals in the tournament, four have come from the penalty spot. He also saw one penalty saved against Poland.
Fans went as far to say that the tournament is rigged and FIFA has been trying to assist Messi in winning the tournament.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after Messi's controversial penalty goal against France:
Angel Di Maria finished off an exquisite team move from Argentina after Lionel Messi's penalty goal
While the first penalty goal from Lionel Messi was controversial, the second goal from Argentina was an exquisite team move. Alexis Mac-Allister found Angel Di Maria at the end of the move.
The Juventus star made no mistake in finding the back of the net past Hugo Lloris. The 35th-minute goal marked La Alboceleste's second of the night. They look well on course to become three-time world champions.
Messi finally looks set to meet his destiny and win the FIFA World Cup trophy. France have been toothless. Unless a dramatic change takes place in the second half, it's hard to imagine a comeback from Didier Deschamps' side.
