Controversial yellow! Messi slices through England — and sparks instant debate!
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
One burst from Messi was all it took to ignite the semifinal and put the refereeing under the spotlight once again.
Details: In the 37th minute of the 2026 World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina, Lionel Messi picked up the ball, dribbled past several defenders, and surged towards the box. Elliot Anderson stopped the Albiceleste captain with a foul, prompting referee Ismail Elfath to show the Englishman a yellow card. At the time, the score remained 0-0.
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The foul itself left little room for doubt — Anderson clearly halted the Argentine’s dangerous run. But the booking proved controversial: the contact didn’t look particularly rough, Messi wasn’t clean through on goal, and there were still other England defenders in close proximity.
It’s worth noting that ahead of the semifinal, Messi had scored eight goals and provided two assists at the 2026 World Cup.
Reminder: Only three minutes played. Tempers flare early in Argentina vs England clash.
