Lionel Messi revealed he suffered an adductor problem during Argentina’s narrow victory over Brazil, which was marred by police violence in the stands
Authorities reacted violently to boos from Albicelestes fans during the Brazilian national anthem, provoking a reaction that even saw goalkeeper Emi Martinez attempt to intervene. The Argentine players then decided to return to the locker room, which led to a 30-minute delay before resuming. Messi revealed it was a deliberate tactic as his players were affected by the violent scenes at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.
Asked by TyC Sports On the brutal police reaction before the match, the Albiceleste captain responded: “Obviously, it’s very bad. We saw how they beat people, as happened in the Libertadores final, again repressing people with batons. There were players who had families there. You think about your family, you don’t really know what’s going on and you’re more focused on that than the game. We saw how they were hitting people, something horrible could have happened. When everything calmed down, we decided to go inside, ask how the relatives were doing, find out a little more about everything that was happening. Then we went out.”
The 36-year-old lasted 78 minutes before being replaced by Angel Di Maria, and he suggested it was a blow he suffered throughout the match: “ It was an adductor discomfort. It was my last game (in 2023), I have time to recover and start the year with everything I need. I’m going to prepare to have a good year, have a good pre-season and start from scratch. »
Despite all the noise that preceded this meeting, Messi and his teammates held on and won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nicolas Otamendi. Lionel Scaloni’s team thus consolidates its place at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings, relegating Brazil to a sad sixth place.
