Jakarta, CNNI Indonesia —
Argentina confirmed missing two players for the match against Croatia in the semi-finals World Cup 2022 at Lusail Iconic Stadium, Wednesday (14/12) in the morning WIB.
The two players are Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel. Both had to be absent because they were subject to penalties for accumulating cards.
Referee Mateu Lahoz awarded a yellow card to Acuna and Montiel during their penalty shoot-out win against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. In that match, Lahoz even issued a total of 18 yellow cards.
The yellow card penalty automatically eliminated Acuna and Montiel against Croatia. That’s because both pocketed a yellow card in the group stage.
Acuna got it when Argentina beat Poland 2-0 on 1 December. Meanwhile, Montiel received a yellow card as La Albiceleste won by a similar scoreline over Mexico in their second group stage match.
According to the 2022 World Cup regulations, the yellow cards received by each player from the group stage to the quarter-finals will be accumulated. In this way the two yellow cards received by Acuna and Montiel keep them both out of contention afterwards.
Acuna’s absence is clearly a loss for Argentina. That’s because the Sevilla player has looked convincing since the group stage.
Acuna’s position will likely be filled by Ajax Amsterdam player Nicolas Tagliafico.
Meanwhile, Montiel is a reserve player in the right-back position. In this sector, coach Lionel Scaloni relied on Nahuel Molina, who scored once to eliminate the Netherlands.
Aside from Acuna and Montiel, Argentina are currently concerned about sanctions that could potentially be imposed by FIFA. The starting point is the heated duel against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
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