Wojciech Szczesny helped keep Poland in the World Cup by saving Lionel Messi’s penalty (Picture: Getty)
Wojciech Szczesny joked he could earn a ban from FIFA after making a bet with Lionel Messi over the award of Argentina’s controversial penalty in last night’s World Cup clash against Poland.
Both teams ultimately booked their place in the last 16 after an eventful night at Stadium 974 with second half goals from Alexis MacAllister and Julian Alvarez securing a 2-0 victory for the the Albicelestes.
Poland’s players were forced to wait nervously on the pitch after the final whistle to discover their fate, but were able to celebrate their continued presence in the tournament when news of Mexico’s result against Saudi Arabia filtered through.
Ultimately, it was Szczesny’s first half penalty save from Messi that helped limit the damage for Poland and ensured they progressed on goal difference.
The award of the spot kick, however, was widely condemned after referee Danny Makkelie reversed his initial decision having consulted with the pitchside monitor, penalising the Juventus No.1 for catching Messi in the face with a flailing glove.
Afterwards, Szczesny revealed he was so confident the match referee would stick with his original verdict that he bet the PSG superstar €100.
‘We spoke before the penalty and I told would bet him €100 that he [referee] wasn’t going to give it,’ Szczesny told TV2. ‘So I’ve lost a bet against Messi.
‘I don’t know if that’s allowed at the World Cup — I’m probably going to get banned for it! But I don’t care right now.
‘I’m not going to pay him either — he doesn’t care about €100 I think he has enough.’
For Szczesny, it was his second penalty save of the World Cup after denying Salem Al-Dawsari in Poland’s 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
‘I was fortunate twice this competition,” he told RAI Sport. “It’s a great moment in the career of a player, the World Cup is the maximum and this is special.
‘There’s a bit of work that goes into it, too, but in order to save a Messi penalty, you need some luck as well.’
Poland will now take on defending champions France on Sunday and will have to show more adventure against a team which rested most of its star players in Wednesday’s surprise 1-0 defeat against Tunisia.
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‘I could get banned by FIFA!’
