Nobody thought the Battle of Nuremberg could ever be eclipsed. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands set an unwanted record as they kicked lumps out of one another. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov handed out 16 yellow cards and four reds, with former Barcelona duo Deco and Giovanni van Bronckhorst among those sent off. Cristiano Ronaldo had to be substituted before halftime after being on the receiving end of a crude challenge from ex-Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz, appropriately nicknamed “The Cannibal.” The Dutchman was sent off in the second half.

For years, it stood as the benchmark for World Cup chaos.

The Battle of Lusail arrives

Sixteen-and-a-half years later, however, along came the Battle of Lusail, again involving the Netherlands (you know it’s serious when a single game is given a “Battle of…” moniker).

This time, Argentina were their opponents in a clash that was almost literally remembered as much for what happened after full-time as during the 120 minutes and penalties.

Lionel Messi’s “¿Qué mirás, bobo?” (“What are you looking at, fool?”), directed at Dutch striker Wout Weghorst during a postgame interview, has been plastered over cups, T-shirts, and more all over Argentina since and captured the tension of the contest perfectly.

Messi at the heart of the storm

On this occasion, 18 yellow cards and one red, to the Netherlands’ Denzel Dumfries, were brandished by Antonio Mateu Lahoz, the Spanish referee often criticized for a perceived desire to be the center of attention.

Messi had also been at the heart of the controversy on the field, cupping his hands to his ears in front of the Dutch bench after scoring Argentina’s second goal, which had put them 2-0 ahead. The ex-Barcelona legend later explained he had been irritated by Louis van Gaal’s “disrespectful” pregame comments, in which the Netherlands coach simply stated Messi “didn’t participate much” when Argentina didn’t have the ball.

Late drama and postgame tension

A late Weghorst double leveled the contest, and the shootout was marred by players from both teams, initiated by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martínez, attempting to intimidate opponents by verbally abusing them. After the South Americans’ victory, a number of Argentina players gloated about the result in front of their Dutch counterparts. Heated words and obscenities were shouted, although things never got physical at any stage.

In addition to confronting van Gaal and lashing out at Weghorst after the game, Messi didn’t spare Mateu Lahoz, an official he was already more than familiar with from his time in Barcelona.

“I don’t want to talk about the referee because you can’t be honest. If you talk they sanction you, FIFA must think about it, they can’t put a referee like that for these instances, they can’t put a referee who isn’t up to the task.”

Referee backlash and fallout

The Spaniard’s performance wasn’t received well elsewhere, either. “Spanish official Antonio Mateu Lahoz did not help matters, to be kind,” read the BBC’s match report. “To be unkind, he had an absolute shocker - brandishing his yellow card with abandon ratcheted up tensions considerably, and by the time he finally showed red to Dumfries, he had long since lost all control.”

Mateu Lahoz wasn’t seen at the tournament again and was reportedly sent home following the debacle. Seven months later, he retired from officiating and was given a guard of honor and a standing ovation during his final LaLiga game, the match between Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano. Highly unorthodox for a referee, but exactly the way he would have wanted to bow out, his critics would argue, Messi included.

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