Fans claim World Cup is ‘rigged’ for Messi to lift the trophy

It seems like a lot of people don't want Messi to finally win a World Cup

'Rigged' became the top trend on Twitter in the aftermath of Argentina's comprehensive semi-final victory over Croatia at the World Cup. The two-time champions beat the 2018 finalists 3-0, and yet again, Lionel Messi was front and centre of the Argentinian performance. He scored the opening goal from the spot in the 34th minute, after a contentious penalty was awarded to his side. https://twitter.com/itvfootball/status/1602755611338321921 The, he produced a classic bit of Messi magic in the second half to set up Julian Alvarez for his second and his side's third. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1602763907466002433 Although millions would love to see Messi finally get his hands on the World Cup, some fans expressed their discontent over some of the decisions that had gone Argentina’s way in the semi-final, and earlier in the tournament. Many claimed the tournament in Qatar had been "rigged" for Messi to lift the trophy on Sunday, to the extent that the word became one of the top trends on Twitter.

One fan said: “This has to be the most rigged world cup ever. Argentina has got 5 penalties.”

Another tweeted: “5 penalties in 6 games and I’m meant to believe this isn’t rigged.”

https://twitter.com/ItAintEaseh/status/1602751099273887748

A third fan added: “The whole World Cup is rigged for Messi to win it. Funny that some people still don’t believe it.”

Another said it is "too obvious" that the tournament is rigged for Argentina, but then again, what would you expect from a Ronaldo fan account? https://twitter.com/XclusiveRonaldo/status/1602311585812295680

Someone else commented: “Rigged! That’s not a penalty!!!! So sick of every referee favouring Argentina / Messi in this tournament. Joke."

But others pointed out that what Messi did for the third goal really can't be rigged. https://twitter.com/CrewsmatMorocco/status/1602782652469223425 Argentina now have just one game standing between them and being crowned world champions for the first time since 1986. They will play either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday. The second semi-final between them takes place on Wednesday evening, with both sides looking to make history at this tournament. Morocco have already become the first ever African side to reach the last four, so a win would make them the first African side to reach the final. Meanwhile, the French are looking to become the first side since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup. Related links:

• Roy Keane pays fitting tribute to Luka Modric before heartbreaking tunnel scenes
• Company left ‘gutted’ after pre-releasing 18,000 England World Cup winners shirts
• The reason why ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley left the World Cup early