Wojciech Szczesny has revealed he bet Lionel Messi a penalty wouldn’t be awarded for the incident between the two in Argentina’s match with Poland on Wednesday.
Towards the end of the first half of the game, Messi went down in the box after being brushed by Szczesny’s hand as the goalkeeper tried to claim a cross.
Referee Danny Makkelie initially didn’t award a penalty but somewhat surprisingly changed his mind after being told by VAR to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Szczesny was as shocked as anyone about the decision, revealing that while the referee was rewatching the incident, he bet Messi that a penalty wouldn’t be given.
“We spoke before the penalty, I told him I can bet him €100 that he wasn’t going to give it. So I’ve lost a bet against Messi,” he said after the match.
“I don’t know if that’s allowed at the World Cup. I’m probably going to get banned for it. I don’t care right now.
“I’m not going to pay him either. He doesn’t care about €100, come on.”
The Polish keeper saved the penalty with a stunning stop and, while his nation still lost the match 2-0 and were usurped into first place in Group C by Argentina, that save proved to be absolutely crucial.
They progressed to the round of 16 because they’d conceded a goal fewer than Mexico, making their goal difference superior. Next up, they’ll face France and will need to produce an improved performance to stand a chance of progressing.
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