A very difficult game for Leo, who scared
Leo Messi personified Argentina’s hard-fought victory in a very difficult classic match against Chile (0:1).played in New Jersey, with which Skaloneta won a second victory in two days and mathematically reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America.
Lautaro Martinez was the hero of the evening with a wonderful goal in the 88th minute., second in two games, making him the tournament’s only top scorer. However, It was Leo Messi, another game on which all eyes, attention… and shots were focused!
Crack suffered the most personally from the brutality that the Chileans used as a weapon of intimidation. Messi had a special duel with a defender Gabriel Suazowhich nearly sent him rushing to the dugout in the 22nd minute when he struck a deliberate shot (which inexplicably went wide without warning) to the thigh.
Leo lay on the sideline for more than two minutes, which upset his entire team. He recovered, but the effects of the blow carried over to the rest of the match.
In the second half, close-ups of the television broadcast showed his face showing clear signs of pain and fatigue. He held on until the end and was involved in creating his team’s goal, delivering the corner that ended Lautaro’s final goal.
Messi’s anger at the incident that nearly knocked him out of the game was clear. When the first half ended, he reprimanded the Uruguayan referee: Andres Matonte, permissiveness to the actions of La Roja. He did this bare-chested, without covering his mouth in the typical way to avoid lip reading.
Messi has yet to make his debut in continental competition. In his debut match against Canada, he made an assist for Lautaro’s goal. And, this time, he missed by a few millimeters as he crashed his left foot into the left goalpost of his former Barcelona colleague Claudio Bravo in the 35th minute.
With qualification guaranteed, it would make perfect sense for Lionel Scaloni to rest his star next Saturday against Peru. which will close the Argentines’ participation in Group A.