The defender Gonzalo Montiel, author of the decisive penalty that gave Argentina the victory against France in the 2022 World Cup and a Sevilla player, has been charged with an alleged crime of sexual abuse of a woman in 2019.

The Sevilla side appeared on Thursday before the Fiscal Unit specialized in family violence, gender violence and crimes against sexual integrity in La Matanza, a western suburb of Buenos Aires, where the complaint was filed.

Montiel, 26, was notified that “he is charged with the crime of sexual abuse with carnal access aggravated by the participation of two or more people,” according to the court brief that was released on Friday.

The complaint was filed by a former Montiel partner who claims she was sedated and raped in the soccer player's house during the New Year's party in 2019.. The woman did not directly implicate the player in the incident, but stated that she was with him when he lost consciousness, apparently after ingesting alcoholic beverages.. She also stated that people around her threatened her so that she would not file the complaint.

The player was the one who converted the last of the series of penalties that defined the World Cup final in Qatar in favor of Argentina 4-2 over France on December 18 in Qatar. At the end of May, Montiel also scored the penalty in the shootout that defined the Europa League final against Roma.

The crime with which Montiel is charged provides for penalties of six to 15 years in prison provided for in the Argentine Penal Code.