Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has taken issue with Lionel Messi’s record-breaking World Cup goal.
Messi equalled former German international Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history (16) last week.
He then broke Klose’s record in Argentina’s second group-stage match against Austria on Monday night.
The 38-year-old scored twice, despite missing a penalty, in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria at the Dallas Stadium.
While the majority of football fans celebrated Messi’s amazing feat, Schmeichel was “frustrated” by a refereeing decision.
Peter Schmeichel says VAR should have disallowed Lionel Messi’s goal
Lionel Messi bounced back from the disappointment of his penalty miss with a classic goal before halftime.
Thiago Almada let Facundo Medina’s pass go through his legs so that Messi could have a shot from the edge of the box.
Messi whipped the ball with his left foot into the bottom corner—a goal he must have scored a hundred times in his career.
However, Argentina’s opener could have been disallowed for a foul on Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager in the build-up.
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister appeared to go through Schlager’s back to win the ball before Messi scored from the resulting counterattack.
Schmeichel claimed it was a “clear and obvious error” from the referee, which the VAR should have intervened for.
“I don’t think that goal should have stood,” he told FOX Sports. “Think about how they get the penalty; this is a kick from behind through Xaver Schlager.
“This is a free kick, Mac Allister has kicked the player down. That should have been a free-kick.
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“VAR should have taken that back. That is a clear and obvious mistake by the referee… And for that I feel a little bit frustrated.”
Messi scored another goal in the final minutes, meaning he would have broken Klose’s goalscoring record anyway.
However, Schmeichel’s comments do raise awkward questions about the officiating towards Messi during the World Cup.
Many believe that he should have been sent off for a dangerous tackle in Argentina’s previous game against Algeria.
As incredible as Messi’s performances have been, it feels as though he has benefited from some good luck in this tournament.
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