Lionel Messi will continue writing his dream of the World Cup while his greatest rival Cristiano Ronaldo ealready had to exit the tournament.
Portugal's sad players have reacted angrily, implying that the move to choose Facundo Tello as referee for their game over Morocco had an ulterior aim.
Heartbreak for Cristiano Ronaldo
Since Cristiano Ronaldo's ambition came to an end against Morocco, angry Portugal players thought Lionel Messi's Argentina are being looked upon favorably at the World Cup.
If his post-match remarks after his country was ousted from the competition following a shock 1-0 defeat in the quarter-finals are any indication, defender Pepe appears to believe there is a plot against FIFA. The former Real Madrid player lamented:
'It’s unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game.'
The former Real Madrid star continued angrily:
‘After what happened yesterday, with Messi talking, all of Argentina was talking and the referee comes here to blow the whistle. I’m not saying that he comes here conditioned...but what did we play in the second half? We weren’t allowed to play in the second half.’
‘I can bet that Argentina will be champions’, he added angrily.
Manchester United player Bruno Fernandes echoed Pepe's rage at the fact that an Argentine, Facundo Tello, was permitted to oversee a Portugal match.
‘We already know how it works … before the game, we already knew what we were in for, and what kind of referee we would find.’
Bruno, who is the playmaker for Portugal, accused the FIFA of 'tilting the field against them':
‘I don’t know if they’re going to give the trophy to Argentina. I don’t care, I’m going to say what I think and screw them. Weirdly, a ref officiates us from a country still in the competition... clearly, they’ve tilted the field against us.’
Argentina has their own problems
However, Argentina has not come away with no concerns about their own officiating. Messi had a lot of words about Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz following their penalty shootout triumph over the Netherlands.
‘[Netherlands’ equaliser] came from a set piece that I don’t think was a foul', Messi remarked of the lineout.
The superstar continued:
'I don’t want to speak about referees because you can be sanctioned. I don’t think he was up to the standard, he was very harmful to us.'
Shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez was the Albicelestes' eventual hero, saving two of the three penalties he encountered in the shootout, but he was critical of the officials.
‘The ref was just giving everything for them, he just wanted them to score, that’s it. So, hopefully, we don’t have that ref anymore. He’s useless.'
Argentina will face Croatia in their semi-final game on Tuesday night, with Messi aiming to cap off his World Cup reputation by reaching the final, but it all ended in tears for Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was caught weeping down the tunnel after failing to collect the World Cup title at least once throughout his remarkable career.
Read more:
⋙ Cristiano Ronaldo received a letter from this important family
⋙ Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United responds to interview
⋙ Lionel Messi: What is the world's greatest fooballer's net worth?
