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Is FIFA World Cup 2022 rigged to see Lionel Messi in final? Fans divided over Argentina awarded penalty against Croatia in semi-final

While many believe this was a good decision, some say that it was in no way a penalty.

Is FIFA World Cup 2022 rigged to see Lionel Messi in final? Fans divided over Argentina awarded penalty against Croatia in semi-final

For Messi, it was his fifth goal of the tournament

Last Updated: 10.56 AM, Dec 14, 2022

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While many want to see Argentina end with the trophy in their hand and give Lionel Messi the only title he has missing, some believe the FIFA World Cup 2022 to be rigged. These accusations come after Argentina, during their semi-final clash against Croatia, was awarded a penalty, which some believe should not have been given.

The incident took place in the first half when both sides were sitting without any goal being scored. It was a simple lofted ball over the top from Fernandez which caught out the Croatian defence.

Julian Alvarez made a run in behind the defence off a long ball from the midfield and in a one-on-one situation, he tried to chip the ball past Dominik Livakovic and in the process drew the foul. This earned a penalty kick from Italian referee Daniele Orsato.

Livakovic made the right decision, but his dive was ineffective because Messi expertly executed drive gave his team a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

While many believe this was a good decision, some say that it was in no way a penalty and if this is how FIFA wants to make Argentina win, they should at least play fair.

For Messi, it was his fifth goal of the tournament, making him joint top-scorer with France's Kylian Mbappe. It also was his 11th career goal -- in a record-equalling 25th World Cup appearance. He took him past Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's all-time World Cup top scorer.

As for Argentina, the two-time champions are in their sixth final and are just one win away from winning the coveted trophy for the first time after 1986. 

Against the 2018 runners-up, the side put on a convincing 3-0 victory over Croatia.

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