Messi: we didn't want to leave the World Cup; Romero's goal gave us hope

I’ve grasped the situation: Initially, criticism focused on the disallowed Egyptian goal and the non-awarded penalty. Then, official VAR footage was released confirming those decisions were correct. Next, attention shifted to alleged bias—Argentina received no yellow cards while Egypt got six—but in reality, only one yellow card was shown during the full 90 minutes. Then came a flood of misleading images supposedly “exposing” Argentina, but reviewing the VAR clip shows the contact was on the upper chest—not a clear foul. Critics claim Argentina “got away with everything,” yet Egypt’s own images show numerous incidents—including stamping and throat-grabbing—that also went unpunished. Finally, there’s the claim that VAR reviewed Egypt excessively. The ultimate conclusion drawn is that “multiple VAR reviews = darkness rivaling the 2002 World Cup.” In truth, it was simply a loosely officiated match. Because the threshold was low, Argentina—and South American teams generally—benefited slightly from their more physical style. That’s the only real advantage. Regarding the penalty decision and all three open-play goals: none were questionable. Several key decisions were reviewed by VAR—and yet this match is now branded the “blackest” in history.

Stop bringing up Molina—it wasn’t a face strike at all. What Molina pushed was the opponent’s shoulder; it only looked like a face strike due to the angle. He didn’t even make contact with the face, so no card was warranted. Moreover, Egypt was on the attack—calling a foul there would have unfairly disrupted their offensive momentum and invited accusations of biased refereeing.

Lao Mei’s second goal—a powerful, well-placed strike—was absolutely brilliant! I was totally stunned watching it.

Moreover, professional players are extremely sensitive to facial fouls; if a player is actually struck in the face, they will certainly demand an explanation, and the incident will undoubtedly be repeatedly reviewed during the match.

Why aren’t these cards given to Egypt?

তছতিঙুঐঙরছঙঙুউঈ

But last night’s comment—earning 8,000 likes—claimed Romero’s tackle was a yellow card offense and warranted a penalty kick; some even argued Romero should have been sent off. I’m genuinely astonished that as many as 8,000 people watching the live broadcast last night held that view… This Argentina match has become an outlet for fans of eliminated teams—blurring all sense of fairness and objectivity.

You are a professional sports translator specializing in football and other sports content. Translate the following sports article comment into English. Output only the translated text, no explanation.

The referee has given you greater hope.

The referee doesn’t want you to leave either.

scammer and thief

The Butterfly Effect To begin with, I witnessed Maradona, Ronaldo El Fenomeno, Ronaldinho, and the giants of the 1980s, 90s, and the turn of the millennium in the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Italy, and Argentina. Messi is undeniably the greatest player in history in terms of skill, longevity, determination, passion, creating new motives, and the hunger to achieve continuous, repeated success. High skill alone or passion for a short period is not enough to become a legend like Messi. However, what is happening now in the World Cup to exploit this legend financially, promotional-wise, and media-wise is pathetic and sad. The story did not start with the Egypt match, and the global feeling that Argentina is being favored is not dependent on a single moment in that game. Instead, let us review the consecutive events since day one of the tournament for Argentina to understand the context as a whole and the "butterfly effect" from which Argentina fully benefited. 1. The first event, which is undeniable and indefensible, is the moment Messi's red card was ignored during the Algeria match. In the 30th minute, with the score at 0-0, Messi was not sent off after a challenge on Aissa Mendi's leg, and VAR did not review the incident. Had the red card happened, Argentina would have played with 10 men against Algeria for over an hour without Messi, and they would have also played without Messi against Austria! 2. Messi’s absence from the remainder of the Algeria match and the entire Austria match due to suspension would have deprived him of scoring 5 whole goals, which he scored after the challenge that warranted a red card. Messi would have returned against Jordan with zero goals, while his rivals Mbappe, Haaland, and Vinicius Jr. had 3–4 goals. However, Messi's goalscoring advantage—by scoring 5 unearned goals had the red card been applied—gave him a historic goalscoring edge across World Cup history as a whole. As of this moment, he is the top scorer of this edition. This goalscoring run has had a highly positive impact on him and the entire Argentina national team regarding self-confidence, increasing opponents' fear, title odds, betting, and the presence of Messi fans alongside Argentina supporters to cheer in the stadiums. 3. Messi’s first goal against Austria came after a foul by Mac Allister against an Austrian player in midfield at the build up of the goal, and VAR made no attempt to review or verify the play. 4. Argentina playing the first match with 10 men while the score was tied, and playing without Messi against Austria might—I say might—have changed the results. If Argentina had qualified in second place instead of first, their path in the knockout stages would have been much harder. 5. The Cape Verde match featured a number of intentional fouls against Cape Verde players that were either not called at all or called without yellow cards. Among them were two fouls in stoppage time with the score at 1-1, including a foul warranting a booking right on the edge of the Argentine penalty area. There was also a comical foul awarded to Argentina when their player fell on his own without any contact from any Cape Verde player, yet a foul was given to Argentina in the center circle! Furthermore, play was stopped to treat the Argentine player in extra time instead of continuing play without him, in violation of the rules. 6. In Argentina's matches against Cape Verde and Egypt, Argentine players committed 35 fouls but received only one yellow card! On more than five occasions, Argentine players threw their hands into the faces of their opponents without competing for the ball, and none of these fouls were called, let alone penalized with cards. In tournament statistics, Argentina is the team with the fewest bookings relative to the number of fouls committed. Argentine players receive one yellow card for every 22 fouls they commit, whereas England's players, for example, receive a booking for every 7 fouls committed! Can you imagine the difference? Argentine players have developed the feeling that they are protected from cards and send-offs, no matter what they do! 7. Infantino's spontaneous statement after the Cape Verde match, saying that he "suffered with Argentina during the match," indicates his intentions and personal preferences. His raising of the Egyptian flag during the Colombia vs. Switzerland match clearly shows his attempt to deny the accusations surrounding him. 8. The Egypt match witnessed events indicating favoritism that had nothing to do with goals. A clear foul after Salah was pushed on the edge of the penalty area in the 20th minute—with Egypt leading 1-0—was not called. And when Salah intercepted the ball from Paredes and broke away completely clean through on goal in the 52nd minute with the score at 1-0, the whistle was blown immediately instead of letting the attack conclude and then reviewing the play via VAR.

The referee gave you hope.

Why didn’t you say anything earlier when Molina was playing?

their fake goat said "world cup and Euro Cup are the same"...he and his fans need to be examined

Truly absurd—my post, along with the GIF, has gone virtually unnoticed across numerous news outlets and platforms.

it's like they beat the world cup powers house. it's Cape Verde, Egypt ... those small teams make them suffer

Argentina has the capability to host the World Cup independently—call it the “Messi World Cup.”

If you want to leave, first ask Infantino if he’ll let you go.

They say “slap them to make them see who struck first”—at the 41st minute, an Egyptian player slapped Molina’s face near the touchline.

fuck you all go back home. your win is disgrace full.

Robbed the game

Yes you ganna win it ....no good new

Hadn’t it been for FIFA babysitting you, you would have packed after Cape Verde.

Fair refereeing is the most important thing. [Justice will prevail]