Gary Lineker has blasted World Cup referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for making "Mike Dean seem shy" due to his card-happy antics during the clash between Argentina and Netherlands.
Lahoz was the man in the middle for the feisty quarter-final affair which eventually saw Argentina progress to the next round after a penalty shootout. Argentina had led 2-0 until two late Wout Weghorst goals forced the game into extra time, before it was decided by spot kicks.
But whilst the game was full of action and talking points, it was Lahoz who ultimately stole the show. The official brandished his yellow card no fewer than 17 times throughout the whole contest, while several of his decisions were called into question - before he later sent off Netherlands' Denzel Dumfries after the final whistle.
Reacting to Lahoz's performance prior to him dishing out his final bookings of the evening, BBC Sport presenter Lineker compared the referee to Premier League official Dean, who became known for his outlandish behaviour and the number of cards he brandished throughout his career.
"13 yellow cards. This referee has always loved to be the centre of attention," Lineker tweeted. "Makes Mike Dean seem shy."
During the 120 minutes of playing time, Lahoz called up 48 fouls and gave out the majority of his yellows, including to people on the bench, with a further two - to Netherlands duo Noa Lang and Dumfries - being given during the shootout, including one before the final kick was taken.
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Remarkably, Lahoz still managed to keep his red card in his pocket despite a number of fierce tackles and various flashpoints - but couldn't help but show Dumfries his second booking after the game had finished.
Among the flashpoints during the game included an on-field brawl when Leandro Paredes fouled Nathan Ake before furiously booting the ball into Netherlands' dugout. Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk reacted by pushing Paredes to the floor, sparking a melee between both sets of players.
Even Lionel Messi found his way into the book, for dissent in the moments before Weghorst struck Netherlands' equaliser, but did escape a booking for a blatant handball.
Messi had put Argentina into a commanding position after setting up Nahuel Molina's first-half goal with a sublime defence-splitting pass, before adding a second from the penalty spot with 17 minutes left on the clock.
That looked to have put Argentina through to the semi-finals, but Netherlands mounted a remarkable comeback, starting with Weghorst's header from a free-kick in the 83rd minute.
His second was even better, as Netherlands surprised everyone with a short free-kick from the edge of the box which Weghorst controlled and turned past Emiliano Martinez to draw the scores level in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
But Netherlands couldn't end the night as victors, as after another 30 minutes' stalemate the game then went down to penalties, with Martinez proving to be the hero.
The Aston Villa stopper saved from Van Dijk before Messi put Argentina ahead in the shootout. He then repeated the trick to keep out Steven Berghuis' effort as Paredes put his spot kick away.
Enzo Fernandez missed the chance to seal it for Argentina but Lautaro Martinez made no mistake with his strike, setting up a last four showdown with Croatia.
