Argentina may have won the World Cup final but some viewers were unhappy that they were deprived of an even earlier victory in Sunday’s clash with France.
The historic to-and-fro showdown saw Kylian Mbappe equalise for the second time with a penalty in the final minutes of extra time, making it 3-3.
There is little doubt that referee Szymon Marciniak was correct to award the spot-kick for Gonzalo Montiel’s handball, but was there an incident moments earlier that went unpunished?
Dayot Upamecano lept for Kingsley Coman’s corner and, from certain camera angles, appeared to handle the ball.
There was no foul or lengthy VAR check for the incident, with the penalty given seconds later allowed to stand - infuriating a number of fans online who spotted the potential foul.
When reviewing the incident, it is clear that from one camera angle Upamecano’s arms crossed with the ball’s path, however another definitively shows that to be a trick of the eye.
In fact, he headed the ball backwards to Mbappe, whose shot was handled by Montiel.
The incident is not the only one to catch the eye of World Cup viewers and in particular the French claims that Lionel Messi’s second goal, to put Argentina 3-2 up, should not have stood.
Better angle pic.twitter.com/yxK3j0Wjqr
— TL10 🇦🇷 (@TotalLeoFCB) December 19, 2022
Two celebrating substitutes had technically entered the field of play before the ball crossed the line, angering the runners-up.
