DAYOT UPAMECANO was pushed back onto the pitch and did NOT celebrate Kylian Mbappe’s equaliser in the World Cup final.
France looked dead and buried heading in the latter stages of the game after they trailed 2-0.
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria scored in 13 first half minutes to put Argentina on the cusp of glory.
But the holders sprung into life late in the contest.
Firstly, they were given a lifeline when Nicolas Otamendi conceded a penalty that Mbappe swept home.
And then, just 60 seconds later, the PSG star thumped home a stunning volley to bring France back level.
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Having been so quiet throughout the game, Mbappe let his frustration out by celebrating in style.
The entire French team joined him in the corner, apart from one player.
That’s because Upamecano was pushed back onto the pitch by an alert Theo Hernandez.
The reason being, Law 8 states that for play to restart “all players, except the player taking the kick-off, must be in their own half of the field of play”.
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So had Upamecano left the field of player, Argentina could have kicked off.
And many fans on social media also worked out why.
One said: “If all players were off the pitch Argentina could’ve restarted play.”
Another chimed in with: “One player has to stay on the pitch so the other team can’t kick off.”
A third said: “Hernandez fully switched on told Upamecano to stay on pitch because Argentina could’ve kicked off immediately.”
Bernardo Silva did the same thing in Portugal’s last 16 clash with Switzerland.
Argentina ran out winners on penalties after a 3-3 draw in one of the greatest matches ever played.
After Lionel Messi’s side raced into a 2-0 lead, Kylian Mbappe fired a rapid-fire brace to take the game to extra time.
Messi and Mbappe would then net again in extra time to send the game a shootout where the Argentines won 4-2.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
