Former Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has defended the controversial penalty awarded to Argentina in their FIFA World Cup clash against Austria, insisting referee Amin Omar made the correct decision after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.

The incident unfolded in the early stages of the match when Argentina striker Lautaro Martínez went to ground inside the penalty area following a challenge from an Austrian defender. After consulting VAR, the referee pointed to the spot, although Lionel Messi failed to convert the resulting penalty.

Providing analysis on SuperSport, Troost-Ekong said the replay clearly showed contact on Martínez and maintained that the referee’s final decision was justified despite the delay.

“The moment Argentina began to impress, you see there is a tackle. It is pretty clear that there is a touch on Lautaro Martínez,” Troost-Ekong explained.

“The question was just whether it was before or after he got something on the ball. I think it was a simple decision by the referee; it just took a long time to get there.”

The former Nigeria international also commented on Austria captain David Alaba’s attempts to influence the discussion during the VAR review, noting that engaging with officials is part of a skipper’s responsibilities even if such conversations do not always produce the desired outcome.

“As a captain, you also see David Alaba trying to have a conversation with him and that's the role of the captain,” Troost-Ekong said.

“You have the right to speak to the referee, but sometimes it can be very dismissive of that and it can be very frustrating when you are on the pitch.”

Despite seeing his spot-kick saved, Messi responded in emphatic fashion by scoring twice to inspire Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Austria.

The brace further cemented the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s place in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to 18 goals in the competition while extending his scoring run to six consecutive World Cup matches.