Ante Budimir guided Croatia to a 1-0 win over a stubborn Panama side in their World Cup Group L clash on Tuesday, giving the Balkan side a crucial three points and eliminating the Central Americans on a night where the stakes were high for both sides.
Croatia and Panama came into the match looking for their first points of the tournament and knowing that a loss would send them home early after England and Ghana drew 0-0 earlier in the other game in the section.
Toronto Stadium was painted red, white and blue – the colours of both countries’ flags – on a windy evening by Lake Ontario. Croatia’s faithful serenaded attendees with a moving rendition of Hrvatski Band Aid’s “Moja domovina” rally song before kickoff, setting the tone for a lively match.
Croatia finally found a way past Panama’s organised back line in the second half when Marco Pasalic played a clever backheel to Josip Stanisic, who skipped forward and swung a cross into the box that Budimir guided home to put Croatia ahead and send their wall of fans behind the goal into a frenzy.
They nearly added another when Pasalic was played in all alone, though he could not beat goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera and then sent the rebound skyward.
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Both teams went toe-to-toe in a physical midfield battle but it was Panama who gave Croatia plenty of scares in the opening period with their pace down the wings as Jose Luis Rodriguez and Amir Murillo sent crosses into the box, though no one connected.
The victory was a sweet finale on a special night for 40-year-old Croatia midfield maestro Luka Modric, who made his 200th international appearance and was thrown in the air by his teammates to mark the achievement at the end of the match.
While Panama have been eliminated, they still have a lot to play for in their final group-stage match as they continue to search for their first win at a World Cup, though it is a difficult ask against Group L leaders England.
Croatia face second-placed Ghana, who are level on four points with England, in their final group match on Saturday.
Five rounds of Muay Thai are a different beast entirely. Phetjeeja ‘The Queen’ Lukjaoporongtom found that out the hard way at The Inner Circle 19 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
She pushed Allycia Hellen Rodrigues to the limit in stretches, landing sharp right hands in the second and fourth rounds and making the Brazilian work through every minute of a gruelling five-round atomweight Muay Thai world title war.
Phetjeeja had been competing regularly in kickboxing, but the specific demands of a traditional five-round Muay Thai fight had not been part of her reality for years.
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Slower pace, more clinch, different rhythm, different energy system. Her body simply hadn’t been primed for it.
“I realized tonight that my conditioning for a full five-round traditional Muay Thai fight wasn’t where it needed to be. This was my first time going the full five rounds in Muay Thai in a very long time… For Kickboxing, it’s been about a year or a year and a half. But for traditional five-round Muay Thai? It’s been several years. A really long time. So we can look at this fight as a way to shake off the rust.”
Phetjeeja admits she was taken aback by Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ physicality
Phetjeeja knew the clinch is Allycia Hellen Rodrigues’ biggest strength.
“If we’re talking about pure strength, honestly, she isn’t that much stronger than me. I felt I could hold my own against her inside. But when it came to the force of impact during collisions, I lacked that.”
The Inner Circle replay is available for Inner Circle Superfan Club members at live.onefc.com
Sep 16, 2007; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson (82) warms up prior to the start of the game aginst the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Lions defeated the Vikings 20-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-US PRESSWIRE
The Minnesota Vikings have encountered a handful of draft busts throughout franchise history — some recent ones, even — but for Bleacher Report‘s sake, former wideout Troy Williamson takes the cake.
BR’s collective staff identified the Top 99 draft busts in sports history, and Williamson checked in at No. 49. He was the only Viking to grace the naughty list.
Williamson’s Production Never Matched the Draft Spot
Minnesota Vikings receiver Troy Williamson warms up before a divisional matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. On Sep. 16, 2007, Williamson prepared for one of his final appearances with the Vikings as the club sought an early-season road victory. Detroit eventually defeated Minnesota in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-US PRESSWIRE.
BR: Williamson 49th on Top 99 Draft Bust List
Williamson basically represented the midway point of the BR list, as Davenport wrote, “Remember Troy Williamson? Yeah. The Minnesota Vikings wish they didn’t, too. In 2005, the Vikings needed a deep threat after trading Randy Moss, so the team used the pick obtained in the trade to select Williamson, a speedster from South Carolina.”
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“As a rookie, Williamson had over five times as many drops (11) as he did touchdowns (2) — an issue that was famously blamed on ‘depth perception.’”
Years later, Williamson would reveal mental health as a source of his career troubles. In fact, in terms of understanding and empathy, he was about a decade too late for those who wanted to learn about his story. Mental health awareness was not the same in 2007 as in 2017 or today.
Davenport continued, “Williamson himself later admitted that his lack of early success and the criticism that came with it rattled him, and after three years, 79 receptions and three touchdowns, Williamson was traded to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick. High Vote: 49.”
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The Career
Williamson’s NFL career can be summarized as a high-draft pick with exceptional speed who just flat-out failed to launch.
The Vikings selected Williamson seventh overall in the 2005 draft, anticipating an abundance of big plays from his impressive speed. Those expectations were unmet. In three seasons with Minnesota, he recorded just 79 receptions for 1,067 yards and 3 touchdowns. His most productive year was 2006, with 455 receiving yards, but he never achieved a breakout season.
For a Top 10 pick, his career receiving statistics are remarkably low: 87 catches, 1,131 yards, and 4 touchdowns across 49 games, averaging roughly 23 receiving yards per game. While he did contribute as a kick returner, with 47 returns for 987 yards, this wasn’t enough to salvage his receiving career.
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A subsequent opportunity with Jacksonville proved equally unproductive, yielding only 8 catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Troy Williamson attempts to make a catch against Washington during first-quarter action at FedEx Field. On Sept. 11, 2006, Williamson continued his second NFL season while trying to establish himself as Minnesota’s top receiving threat. The former first-round pick remained one of the league’s most scrutinized young receivers. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports.
In short, Williamson possessed raw talent and received ample opportunities as a high draft pick. He was just unable to translate that potential into NFL production.
Shoes Too Big to Fill
On March 3rd, 2005, the Vikings traded Moss to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris, the seventh overall pick — Williamson — and a 7th-Rounder, which would turn into cornerback Adrian Ward, who was waived six months later.
Fans were distraught about the Moss trade; it would be similar to Minnesota trading Justin Jefferson next March. The only would-be savior at the time was Williamson, tabbed directly as Moss’s replacement. He was the one chance to erase the ill will of the Moss trade. And that just didn’t happen.
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Drops plagued Williamson, and even without those, he simply wasn’t on Moss’s level or anywhere near it.
Other Vikings’ Draft Busts
Minnesota largely escaped BR’s scorn, but that doesn’t mean it’s had a quiet “bust” history. These are arguably the main busts in Vikings’ history, listed alphabetically:
A few blocks away from the Vikings’ stadium, the Minnesota Timberwolves were represented a few times on the BR list, as Any Bailey wrote about 2011 draft pick Derrick Williams, “During his sophomore season at Arizona, Derrick Williams looked like a can’t-miss prospect. He had prototypical combo forward size. He could ferociously finish above the rim. And he somehow shot a blistering 56.8 percent from deep.”
“But as has happened with others, that size made him more of a tweener than anything else. His outside shooting never translated to the NBA. And he didn’t do nearly enough in the ancillary categories to keep him on the floor. He was out of the league by his mid-20s.”
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Minnesota Vikings receiver Troy Williamson runs along the sideline during a Christmas Day matchup against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. On Dec. 25, 2005, the rookie wide receiver appeared in his first NFL season while Minnesota battled Baltimore on the road. Williamson entered the league as the seventh overall draft pick. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports.
Variations of the “Williams” last name evidently have rough draft luck in Minnesota.
Timberwolves guard Johnny Flynn checked in at No. 38, and Minnesota North Stars LW Brian Norton ranked No. 51. BR called Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell the top bust in sports history.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
It will be fascinating to see how much of the old magic Neymar can conjure, but you suspect if Brazil are to be a fixture at the business end of this tournament, it will be Vincius who will be the catalyst.
Two goals in two games, including a fabulous equaliser when Brazil were 1-0 down and struggling with the all-round excellence of Morocco, has prevented an underwhelming start to the tournament becoming something more concerning.
“He’s playing very well,” said Ancelotti, who managed the Brazilian star at Real Madrid before taking over the Selecao in 2025.
“We need to use him even though we have other fantastic players. We have experience, quality and legs. I’m completely satisfied [in] all of them.
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“I have to put all the players to adapt to the style of the team.”
And therein lies the genius of Ancelotti – taking the big superstars and their bigger egos and making them work as a cohesive unit.
He is the most decorated manager in Champions League history with five trophies, and the only man to win titles in all of Europe’s top five leagues.
But leading Brazil to World Cup success would further elevate the Italian’s claim to be the greatest manager ever.
NEW DELHI: One of DR Congo’s most famous football supporters finally got his moment at the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, better known as Lumumba Vea, attended DR Congo’s match against Colombia after missing the team’s opening game against Portugal because of Ebola-related quarantine requirements.The supporter became a global sensation during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where he spent entire matches standing completely still like a statue. Dressed in colourful suits and holding one arm in the air, he quickly caught the attention of television cameras and football fans around the world.Ahead of the Colombia match at Estadio Akron, Mboladinga arrived early and took his place behind the DR Congo bench. Wearing a bright red jacket and tie, a yellow shirt and blue trousers, he once again transformed himself into a “living statue”, standing motionless on a pedestal with his right arm raised.Although he did not speak to reporters, he smiled and nodded when asked if he was happy to finally be at the World Cup.His journey to the tournament has not been straightforward. Earlier this year, Mboladinga also missed DR Congo’s World Cup playoff against Jamaica because he could not secure a visa in time. He had travelled to Kenya and Ethiopia in an attempt to obtain the necessary documents, but was unable to make it to the match.His appearance is a tribute to Patrice Lumumba, DR Congo’s first Prime Minister and one of the country’s most important historical figures.
Lumumba played a key role in ending Belgian colonial rule in 1960 and became the leader of the newly independent nation. However, he was assassinated less than a year later during political unrest linked to a separatist movement in the Katanga region.Mboladinga’s raised arm, formal clothing and still posture are all inspired by monuments and images of Lumumba, which is why he is widely known as Lumumba Vea.His unique support has made him one of the most recognisable fans in international football and a symbol of DR Congo’s passion for the game.After missing the opening match against Portugal, many supporters were delighted to finally see the famous “statue fan” take his place in the stands at the World Cup.
There was a Tiger Woods sighting in Cromwell, Conn., just south of Hartford, Tuesday morning.
Woods, who hadn’t made a public appearance since he rolled over his Range Rover on a South Florida roadway on March 27 and was arrested on suspicion of DUI, was in town to help announce sweeping changes to the PGA Tour’s competitive structure.
The setting: the PGA Tour’s eighth and final Signature event of the 2026 season, the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. We’ve known for some time that big news would be coming this week, in the form of PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp revealing details about the Tour’s new relegation model for 2028 and onward. But not until Woods appeared in the Travelers press tent at approximately 10 a.m. local time did we know he’d also be a part of the proceedings.
Woods wore a charcoal suit and light-blue tie paired with sensible soft-spike golf shoes. He looked good, certainly far better than he did the last time the prying eyes of the world saw him, by way of footage from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, that showed Woods handcuffed and sweating in the back of a squad car with a blanket over his head.
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Woods didn’t say much Tuesday: 150 words, for those not counting at home. But his presence, as it always does, held weight. For one, he was back from a reported six-week stay at a rehabilitation center in Switzerland. Good on him. For another, he was reasserting himself, in the public eye, anyway, as a Tour mover and shaker, specifically in his role as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee, a nine-member board that has driven many of the changes Rolapp and the Tour announced Tuesday.
It’s unknown how much, if at all, Woods contributed to committee matters during his time abroad (Woods did not take questions on Tuesday), but in his remarks he said he was “proud of the work we’ve done and am grateful to everyone who’s contributed along the way.”
Woods also said, “This work was never about any one player or person. It was about bringing together different perspectives, having honest, hard conversations, and thinking boldly about what is best for the game that we all love.”
When Woods, who delivered his commentary from a clear-plastic podium, passed the baton to Rolapp, the CEO said, “Thank you, Tiger. I think I speak for all of us, glad to see you back.”
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Much has happened in the golf world since Woods’s arrest: three men’s major champions were crowned (Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai and, just last week, Wyndham Clark), while on the women’s side, Woods’s former Nike stablemate, Nelly Korda, has been running the table. As all that fun has been unfolding between the ropes, Rolapp and the Tour’s fleet of committees, investors and other assorted advisors have been grinding in board rooms and virtual meetings. “A lot of Zoom calls,” Maverick McNealy, an FCC member and co-chairman the Tour’s Player Advisory Council, said Tuesday in a presser of his own.
“I think one of the best benefits of the schedule that hasn’t been talked about as much is how much of our membership is going to have schedule predictability now,” McNealy said. “It was really something that was reserved for the top 30, maybe the top 50 players, knowing what they were going to play in at the start of the year, and now we’ve got over 200 members that are going to know January 1st every tournament that they’re in. That’s going to be a huge quality of life thing.”
Woods’ quality of life, with his sundry injuries and personal struggles, surely has been mixed of late. He will be 52 when the Tour’s new model is instituted and, barring him adding to his haul of 82 Tour titles between now and then, will be almost a decade removed from his last Tour victory. How aging-out stars, even one of Woods’s outsized stature, will fit into the reimagined, more cutthroat Tour is one of the questions that remains to be answered.
“When the dust settles, there will be a clear form of eligibility, and how you earn your way into the Championship Series will be clear,” Rolapp said of the Tour’s new upper rung. “Career milestones and accomplishments, how do we deal with that? Current ones and in the future. I think we’re still working on that, and I think there’s an effort from the committee to recognize career accomplishments. But at the end of the day, it will be the meritocracy that wins out.”
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In 2024, the Tour created a special sponsor exemption for Woods and Woods alone, based on his “exceptional lifetime achievement.” The exemption grants him entrée to all of the Signature events. When asked whether that exemption will remain intact beyond 2027, a Tour spokesperson told GOLF.com that decision will be made later, adding, “They are looking at those types of exemptions and if they fit with the new model being truly meritocratic.”
Is there a world in which Tiger bleepin’ Woods could be on the outside of the Tour bubble looking in? Given he does for golf tournaments what rising tides do for ships, it’s hard to fathom — but also too soon to say. In the meantime, it’s nice to have Woods back in any capacity.
Former German international footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger has been accused of employing racist stereotypes in his analysis of Germany‘s most recent World Cup opponents, Ivory Coast, at the weekend.
Ahead of the Group E clash in Toronto, which Germany won 2-1, Schweinsteiger said in his role as a pundit for German public broadcaster ARD that the Ivorians played “African football” which he characterized as “a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical.”
The 2014 World Cup winner said Germany needed to be “prepared for it to be unpredictable at times.”
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Why were Schweinsteiger’s comments problematic?
Schweinsteiger’s comments prompted reactions on social media and in German mainstream media accusing him of using racist and colonial tropes which reduce Black people to supposed physical attributes rather than crediting them with intellectual ability. The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder has yet to publicly comment on the matter.
“Behind attributions like ‘wild’ and ‘unpredictable’ are stereotypes which are older than football and which have racist, colonial roots,” explained Philipp Awounou, a Black German journalist and author, in a column for Spiegel news magazine.
“In the past, Black people of African heritage were stigmatized as uncivilized (‘wild’), different (‘unorthodox’) and potentially dangerous (‘unpredictable’).”
“These are racist stereotypes,” sports content creator Patrick Schnitzler told his 50,000 followers on Instagram, referring to recent academic studies which have revealed that commentators and fans are more likely to comment on Black footballers’ physical attributes than those of non-Black players.
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“We learn such stereotypes because we have grown up in a society with stereotypes,” he said. “Schweinsteiger, too. You and me, too.”
‘Schweinsteiger is not a racist’
Awounou insisted that he does not believe Schweinsteiger is racist. “That’s simply wrong,” he said. “Regardless of his problematic remarks, Schweinsteiger is absolutely not a racist and shouldn’t be labeled as such.”
He did suggest, however, that the 41-year-old’s comments “reflected the opinion of many German football fans and experts” – opinions which, incidentally, weren’t borne out by reality on Saturday.
Particularly in the first half, Ivory Coast produced a tactically solid performance against Germany, forcing Julian Nagelsmann‘s team into wide areas and restricting them to crosses and long-range shots – unsurprisingly for a team which didn’t conceded a single goal in qualifying and whose players have almost all played at top European clubs.
Meanwhile, they posed a threat on the counter-attack and took the lead through captain Franck Kessié (formerly of Atalanta, AC Milan and Barcelona) following good work by to Yan Diomande, the in-demand RB Leipzig winger who Schweinsteiger had also correctly predicted would be “dangerous.”
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Even after the break, the “Elephants” could have doubled their lead when Kessié exchanged passes with Manchester United’s Amad Diallo but shot over the bar.
Ivory Coast proved predictably tough opposition for GermanyImage: Kevin Sousa/IMAGN Images/REUTERS
‘The ‘wilder’ team was Germany!’
“Ivory Coast were the difficult opponent we expected and showed their technical quality and physicality,” Schweinsteiger wrote on social media after substitute Deniz Undav had scored twice to turn the game around for Germany late on.
“If I had to decide, I’d say the ‘wilder’ team in this game was us: the Germans!” said Awounou, suggesting in his Spiegel column that the most “unorthodox” player on the pitch who stood out with his physicality as well as his technique wasn’t an Ivorian but Felix Nmecha.
“A German. A Black player. Nigerian roots. Born in Hamburg. Grew up and trained in England. What does that tell us?” he said. “That our world, and football with it, has become far too global to be able to determine qualities based on continent of origin or color of skin.”
Millions of viewers received a TV licence fee alert during the BBC’s airing of the England and Ghana World Cup match on Tuesday (June 23).
Fans watching the game at home quickly took to social media to hit out at the notice, which appeared intermittently on screens along with a QR code urging them to ensure they had a TV licence.
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Currently, the standard UK TV Licence fee is £180 per year for both homes and businesses. The licence is required for those watching or recording live TV on any channel, or if using BBC iPlayer.
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The BBC deployed the use of the interactive QR codes during the live airing of the match at Boston Stadium, with millions tuning in to watch the game live on Tuesday. Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their views, dubbing the move ‘cringy’ and ‘desperate’.
One BBC insider told The Times that the prompts were designed to be a “very soft reminder” that all viewers must pay if they were watching any of the broadcaster’s programming.
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“We are expecting a very broad audience to be watching the football and there will be a small section who don’t often come to the BBC,” they told the newspaper.
“Buy a TV licence, err how about f*** off” one user wrote on X on Tuesday, as another commented: “That ‘buy a TV Licence’ QR Code is killing me, BBC better behave.”
“BBC begging people to buy a tv licence at half time is so desperate and cringy…” another posted, as a fourth wrote: “BBC putting a QR code in the corner telling us to buy a TV licence. Absolutely no shame.”
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It’s understood the use of the on-screen QR codes has already been tested across a number of previous World Cup fixtures following a successful pilot at the FA Cup final.
A TV Licensing spokesperson said in a statement: “We regularly test new ways of supporting people to get and stay correctly licensed.” The body also posted a reminder on social media before the game, which read: “England take on Ghana tonight at 9pm on BBC One. Remember, you need a TV Licence to watch the game live. Buy your licence here.”
Manchester United are keen to bolster their midfield this summer and an unexpected opportunity could be about to present itself
Manchester United’s midfield is their top priority this summer and with the transfer window a little more than a week old, the Reds are already making good strides in that area. Atlanta’s Ederson will be the first new addition to the ranks after United agreed a £35m plus add-ons deal for the Brazil international.
The 26-year-old’s late call-up to the World Cup has halted the progression of the deal. However, there is nothing to concern United fans and Ederson will be joining once his nation’s tournament ends. With one midfielder all but signed, the Reds have continued their hunt elsewhere.
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Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is admired by United but a deal looks set to be too much for the Reds. Manchester City’s rejected offer of £120m was always going to be well over what Ineos would agree to spend.
So the attention turned to West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes. The Hammers’ relegation to the Championship has put them in a tricky spot financially. They already declared in their most recent financial results that they would need to sell players in a bid to avoid Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions.
Understandably, Fernandes would be keen to remain in the Premier League next season and considering West Ham’s predicament, United will be confident they can eventually agree a deal with the Championship side. However, the Reds are not the only ones keen on the central midfielder.
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Tottenham have been credited with interest in the 21-year-old, thus ensuring a move for Fernandes won’t be straightforward. With pressure building to sign Fernandes or risk having to move onto another target, an unexpected opportunity has opened up for the Reds.
From United’s perspective, this news will be a major shock. It is understood Real had been set on keeping Tchouameni despite him being at the centre of a squad disagreement earlier in the year.
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However, were the midfielder to become available, as is claimed, United would be interested in signing him. That is no surprise either when you look at the defensive midfielder’s CV.
He has won the Champions League, La Liga, Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and two UEFA Super Cups while still being just 26. For the most part, the France international has been a key figure during this success.
That kind of experience is highly desirable for the Reds. They do not have a host of players who have been there and done it at the highest level.
Despite this, United’s interest in Fernandes makes the most sense. He is 21, played two full seasons in the Premier League and impressed in both, albeit those clubs were relegated to the Championship.
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At the right price, Fernandes offers United a good opportunity to make a profit on his re-sale, should they wish to. Essentially, the midfielder is a ‘plug and play’ signing, who could fill in immediately next season, at an age where his best years are still to come.
On the other hand, Tchouameni is 26 and is in the peak of his career. This makes Real’s stance surprising, considering he featured so regularly for them last season. If a deal is there for the Reds, they would like to get it done though.
He would be a dream addition for United but there’s a long way to go before a deal can be completed. In the meantime, expect the Reds to keep digging away at a move for Fernandes.
Alcantara (8-4), who allowed one run in 6.2 innings, struck out Kyle Higashioka in the seventh inning to surpass Ricky Nolasco for the most strikeouts in club history with 1,002.
The crowd of 9,971 gave Alcantara, who struck out four overall, an ovation and he tipped his cap to different sections of the stands. Alcantara’s outing ended after he walked Nicky López on four pitches following the strikeout of Higashioka.
Alcantara allowed five hits through the first 3.2 innings then retired 11 straight. After allowing eight runs and 10 hits in a loss at Toronto on May 26, Alcantara has completed at least seven innings in three of his five starts in June.
Heriberto Hernández homered and doubled, while Joe Mack and Owen Caissie also went deep for the Marlins, who built a 6-1 lead before the Rangers mounted a comeback attempt.
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Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff homer in the eighth and down to their last out in the ninth, the Rangers chipped away against Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks. Joc Pederson hit a solo homer and Wyatt Langford was hit by a pitch. Nimmo cut the margin with an RBI triple. Fairbanks got the last out when Josh Jung hit a drive that was caught at the warning track by centre fielder Jakob Marsee.
Mack hit a go-ahead solo homer against Rangers reliever José Corniell (0-1) in the fourth to put the Marlins ahead 2-1.
Miami padded the lead in the fifth on Caissie’s three-run blast and Mack’s RBI single.
Lopez hit an RBI groundout with the bases loaded to give Texas a 1-0 lead in the second. Miami tied it in the bottom half on Hernández’s leadoff homer.
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Cal Quantrill allowed one run and three hits in two innings. It was his first start of the season after 15 relief appearances.
RHP Jacob deGrom (6-4, 3.59) will start the series finale for the Rangers on Wednesday, while RHP Eury Pérez (3-6. 4.60) will start for the Marlins.
Austria manager Ralf Rangnick was full of praise for Lionel Messi after Monday’s 2-0 defeat to Argentina, but he also felt a key refereeing decision played a role in the result.
While acknowledging Argentina’s quality, Rangnick questioned whether the opening goal should have counted.
Speaking after the match, the Austria boss pointed to what he felt was a foul on Xaver Schlager in the build-up.
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“For the first goal, I would’ve asked the fourth official to do what he did before the penalty kick; he should have looked, and he would’ve seen what everyone saw: a foul on Xaver Schlager.”
The comments came after referee Amin Omar reviewed an earlier penalty decision involving Messi through VAR, leading Rangnick to question why a similar review was not carried out before Argentina’s opener.
Despite his frustration over the goal, Rangnick acknowledged the difference Messi made once again on the biggest stage.
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“We knew he was on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi showed he’s one of the best, or even the best.”
Messi’s brace secured victory for Argentina and moved him clear as the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer with 18 goals.
The Austrian coach also admitted his side was at fault for the second goal.
“I think we participated in the second goal, that’s our own fault.”
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But he remained convinced that the opening goal deserved a closer review.
For Austria, the result was disappointing but not disastrous. The defeat leaves Rangnick’s side with work to do in their final group-stage match, while the debate over Argentina’s first goal is likely to continue.
As far as the Austria coach is concerned, one decision changed the course of the game.
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