Former Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has defended the decision to award Argentina a penalty during their FIFA World Cup clash against Austria, insisting that the referee made the correct call after reviewing the incident.
The controversial moment occurred early in the encounter when Argentine striker Lautaro Martínez went down inside the penalty area following a challenge from an Austrian defender. The incident was subsequently reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), prompting a lengthy deliberation before Egyptian referee Amin Omar pointed to the spot.
Although Argentina were awarded the penalty, captain Lionel Messi failed to convert the opportunity.
Speaking during his analysis on SuperSport, Troost-Ekong stated that the contact on Martínez was evident and that the only issue under consideration was whether the challenge occurred before or after the striker played the ball.
“The moment Argentina started showing their quality, you could clearly see the tackle. There was obvious contact with Martínez,” Troost-Ekong said.
“The only question was whether the contact came before or after he touched the ball. For me, it was a straightforward decision by the referee, even though it took quite a long time for the officials to reach a conclusion.”
Despite missing from the penalty spot, Messi went on to play a decisive role in the match, scoring twice to inspire Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.
The brace saw the former FC Barcelona star set a new FIFA World Cup record with 18 goals, while also extending his remarkable scoring streak to six consecutive World Cup matches.