Peru captain criticizes referee for favoring Messi

Last night, Argentina secured a 1-0 home victory over Peru in the 12th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, with Lautaro Martínez scoring the only goal from a Lionel Messi assist. However, the Peruvian side expressed dissatisfaction with the officiating.

Details: Peru’s 40-year-old captain, Paolo Guerrero, accused referee Wilmar Roldán of being overly lenient toward Lionel Messi.

"The refereeing was one-sided. You can’t touch Messi because even the slightest contact results in a foul. And you, the press, say nothing about it—you know it’s true," said Guerrero.

After 12 rounds, Argentina leads the qualifiers with 25 points, while Peru sits at the bottom of the table with just 7 points.

Reminder: In this match, Messi set a record for the most assists in international football history.