WC final VAR official hits back at claims Messi's goal shouldn't have stood

A VAR official from the World Cup final has joined the match referee in hitting back at claims that Argentina's goal should not have stood - as he insists his team coped well with 'several tight decisions'.

Before Kylian Mbappe's late equaliser forced penalties, Lionel Messi's goal in extra-time had put Argentina 3-2 ahead - but the French press were adamant it should not have stood.

L'Eqiuipe - along with many on social media - argued that there were Argentina players on the pitch at the time of Messi's 108th minute goal.

But VAR official Tomasz Kwiatkowski has defended his team's decisions throughout the game.

There were six goals where there were several tight situations in the crucial phase of attacks,' he said, according to RMC Sport.

'I had three penalties which were very well dictated by [referee] Szymon Marciniak. I had two situations with a potential red card and a super-difficult dive of Marcus Thuram, and remember that sometimes a dive is in the balance with a penalty.'

In a brutal assessment to critics, he added: 'When you're sitting in a warm chair, drinking a beer and eating crisps, everything seems simple, he tackles about the criticisms levelled against the refereeing of this final.

'In addition to the situations that I have mentioned, I checked a lot of small things to possibly help, for example, a quick indication of a number or a small hint about a decision.'

His honest comments come after referee Marciniak also broke his silence on the matter.

During a press conference, as reported by Zach Lowy, the Polish referee pulled out his phone with a picture which he says was at the time that Kylian Mbappe scored one of his three goals against Argentina.

He said: 'The French didn't mention this photo, where you can see how there are seven Frenchmen on the pitch when Mbappe scores a goal.'

The controversial moment arrived in the 108th minute as Lautaro Martinez was played through on goal. His effort was well saved by Hugo Lloris, but Messi was on hand to tap home the rebound from close range.

Underneath a L'Equipe headline: 'Why Argentina's third goal shouldn't have been awarded', they claim that 'two emotionally charged substitutes' entered the pitch before Messi's shot crossed the line which is 'strictly prohibited'.

They point out that Law 3, Paragraph 9 of the Laws of Football reads: 'If, after a goal is scored, the referee becomes aware before play resumes that an additional person was on the pitch at the time the goal was scored: the referee must disallow the goal if the extra person was: a player, substitute, substituted player, sent off player or official of the team who scored the goal; play must be restarted with a direct free kick from the place where the extra person was.'