French media outlet L'Equipe are claiming that Lionel Messi's third goal during the World Cup final should not have stood.
Despite the final being over a week ago, it appears some in France are not willing to let go of the final result.
The two teams played out an incredible World Cup final in Qatar, in a spellbinding 3-3 draw that ended in a dramatic shootout win for Argentina.
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However, the French publication still have an axe to grind over Messi's second goal, as they've made one last desperate attempt by referring to the Laws of Football.
L'Equipe ran with the headline: ‘Why Argentina‘s third goal shouldn’t have been awarded,’ which provoked fans to discuss the proposed illegitimacy of the goal.
Their argument revolves around the fact that ‘two emotionally charged substitutes’ had entered the pitch before the ball had crossed the line.
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With a photo that seems to reveal that two substitutes were on the pitch as the goal was scored, they do have a point, especially when they referred to Law 3, Paragraph 9 of the Laws of Football, which does favour the claims being made.
According to the Daily Mail, the law in question reads: “If, after a goal is scored, the referee becomes aware before play resumes that an additional person was on the pitch at the time the goal was scored: the referee must disallow the goal if the extra person was: a player, substitute, substituted player, sent off player or official of the team who scored the goal; play must be restarted with a direct free kick from the place where the extra person was.”
Some had also claimed that Messi was offside in the run up to the goal, following Gonzalo Montiel's chipped through ball which went to Lautaro Martinez, but Messi can be seen returning from an offside position, which was correctly ignored by the VAR officials.
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On the whole, Szymon Marciniak and his officiating team provided strong oversight on the day, allowing the game to flow, whilst also getting the big decisions right.
There was also a great spot late in the game as he booked Marcus Thuram for a dive, rather than giving a penalty - you have to credit where it's due and the Polish ref got it spot on.
In terms of their claim, such a technicality would have sullied what was perhaps the best World Cup final of all time.
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Featured Image Credit: FIFA World CupTopics: Argentina, Football, Football World Cup, France, Lionel Messi
