Lionel Messi goal ruled out by VAR to hold Argentina to a draw against Paraguay

Argentina and Paraguay ended their encounter with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires despite thorough domination by Lionel Messi's side.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni pointed out the inconsistencies associated with the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) after his side was denied a match-deciding goal by none other than Messi himself.

The match started slow and It was Paraguay's Angel Romero who scored from the spot in the 21st minute to help his side take the lead.

20 minutes later, Nicolas Gonzalez levelled the score. During the second half, Argentina thought they got the winner as Messi netted the ball. Scaloni was delighted that his side was in a favourable position to win their third straight match in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

However, Messi's goal was ruled out once VAR intervened. The VAR was checking for a foul that started Argentina's passing build-up. In the end, the foul was given and Scaloni's men had to remain content with just a point. Now, Argentina has seven points from three games.

As it stands, Argentina has managed to win only two of their last eight qualifiers against Paraguay. After the end of the match, Scaloni said that he wishes to see greater consistency from the VAR. But overall, he was happy with his boys' performance on the field on Thursday.

According to Goal, the 42-year old manager said, "I think that in some way it is necessary to seek to unify the issue of the VAR. I am not talking in good or bad faith, but to unify criteria. We are left without a player for several days or months. The knock was there and VAR didn't review it. In the first 15 minutes, the team did not go well. After the penalty, I think it was all ours, honestly. The team reacted, created situations, did what it had to do. We achieved a draw. We are leaving with a bittersweet taste because Argentina did everything to win."

Argentina will continue their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to Peru on Tuesday. Messi and company will be eager to return with three points. Although Argentina is leading its South American group, the lead is likely to be short-lived with Brazil breathing down their necks.