Barca English
Messi’s dream still exists. Argentina have already reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar after beating the Netherlands on penalties in a match in which referee Matteo Lahoz was one of the heroes.
Mateo Lahoz and Messi, an old acquaintance
During Messi’s time at Barcelona, he met on numerous occasions with referee Mathieu Lahoz. Without going any further, he was cautioned in 2020 for showing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt in honor of the late Diego Armando Maradona.
The Netherlands-Argentina match got out of control on several occasions for Mathieu Lahoz: scuffles, fights, and a fest of warnings. He pulled out as many as 17 yellow cards from his pocket (one of which was the second for Dumfries, who ended up being sent off after a penalty shootout).
Mathieu Lahoz had endless conversations with the players throughout the match and added 10 minutes at the end of the second half. The Netherlands scored in the 90th minute + 11 the equalizer, which brought it back into the match.
After the match against the Netherlands, he stated that he did not want to talk about the referees so as not to be punished. However, he clarified his position: “People saw what happened, and FIFA should review itself before putting such a referee in matches of this level.”
He also talked about Van Gaal
Messi also spoke about the Netherlands coach, where he said sarcastically: “Van Gaal says he plays good football, but what we saw is putting tall players in the penalty area and playing long balls.”
Source: Sport
Messi is lucky not to have received a red card for his hands ball and also for the guy who kicked the ball after fouling Aké.