Austria’s head coach, Ralf Rangnick, expressed his frustration over what he saw as unfair treatment following Lionel Messi‘s opening goal during his team’s 2-0 loss to Argentina.
In the match held in Dallas on Monday, Messi scored twice, surpassing Miroslav Klose to become the leading goal-scorer in World Cup history.
Rangnick was particularly displeased with a challenge by Alexis Mac Allister on Xaver Schlager that he felt should have warranted a foul prior to the goal.
“If someone is 39 years old and can score two goals and five overall at the beginning of the World Cup, that makes a difference,” Rangnick commented about Messi, who also missed an early penalty after VAR intervention by referee Amin Omar.
“We knew he was on a level of his own, and Lionel Messi demonstrated he’s one of the best, if not the best. However, I believe we contributed to the second goal; that was our own fault.”
“Regarding the first goal, I would have asked the fourth official to review the incident as he did before the penalty. He should have seen the foul on (Xaver) Schlager. It was frustrating. Nevertheless, I am overall pleased with how my team performed today.”
Messi’s brace elevated his tally to 18 goals, making him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, and Rangnick acknowledged the difficulty of keeping the Barcelona star quiet for the entire match. “This is Lionel Messi,” said Rangnick. “He doesn’t need many chances to change the outcome of a game.”
Lionel Messi’s opener ‘annoyed’ Ralf Rangnick (Reuters)
Austria had previously secured three points with a 3-1 victory over Jordan in their opening match, keeping hopes alive for advancement to the knockout stage despite the loss to Argentina.
“Every World Cup match has moments where one team has the upper hand,” Rangnick noted. “Our momentum came after they missed the penalty, and we were back in the game. I would have encouraged my players to be more audacious and shoot during the second half. We maintained control of the ball, which was unexpected for most.”
“In the second half, I believe we delivered a top-notch performance.”
AP contributed to this report