A green beam could be seen being shined at various players - and in the direction of Argentina coach Diego Maradona - during the match, and raises questions over how such an item was able to be smuggled through the security checkpoints.

A statement from FIFA issued to Press Association Sport read: "We noticed this incident once and immediately asked the stadium security to look into the matter.

"According to the information that we have at this time, the incident only occurred once. Also at the time of writing, we have not received any comment from any of the teams."

It is not the first time a laser pen has been used at a high-profile match, with Cristiano Ronaldo being targeted during a game for Manchester United against Lyon in the Champions League in February 2008.