Whiff of penalties for Argentina before World Cup begins

There was considerable criticism regarding Argentina's penalty awards during the Qatar World Cup. Notably, in the 3-0 semi-final victory over Croatia, the VAR did not intervene for the 32nd-minute penalty. However, this did not diminish Argentina's glory in winning the title; they won the championship on merit after 36 years. Before another World Cup begins, penalties are once again a topic of discussion surrounding Argentina.

After training in the United States, Argentina has played two friendly matches. In these two matches, Argentina scored five goals without conceding any. However, two of those five goals came from penalties. Lautaro Martinez scored from a penalty against Honduras. Then, in the second friendly match against Iceland today, Lionel Messi himself found the target from the spot.

Through this, the Argentine legend also rehearsed setting a record on the World Cup's main stage. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Messi scored 4 goals from spot-kicks, putting his name in the joint record for most goals from penalties in World Cup history. With the tournament starting on Thursday, if he scores just one more goal, he will surpass Harry Kane, Gabriel Batistuta, and others to become the sole owner of the record.

Argentina will begin their mission to defend the World Cup title against Algeria on June 17 at 3:00 AM Bangladesh time. Despite being trolled on social media, the two friendly match wins have significantly boosted their confidence. The biggest relief is that Messi will take the field free from injury. Coach Lionel Scaloni has assured that despite some injury concerns, there is no worry regarding team selection.