 "Lionel Messi was not happy with the refereeing in the Paraguay vs Argentina football match. Image: Screengrab")
Lionel Messi fired a blank and had multiple arguments with the referee as Paraguay stunned Argentina with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in the South American FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday (Friday in India) at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción. Lautaro Martinez gave visitors Argentina the lead with a goal in the 11th minute but Paraguay equalised soon (19th minute) as Antonio Sanabria scored from a stunning bicycle kick to beat goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez after capitalising on a cross from Gustavo Velazquez.
The equaliser shocked Argentina who struggled for rhythm in the first half and conceded the winning goal two minutes after the break as Paraguay defender Omar Alderete headed in from a free kick to make it 2-1. The freekick was awarded to Paraguay after a foul by Leonardo Balerdi on Julio Enciso.
Paraguay benefit from ban on Messi jerseys
The match as expected was a highly charged game after Paraguay banned Messi jerseys from the stadium . The Argentina star footballer was also marked heavily by Paraguayan players and Messi did not shy away from making it clear that he was unhappy with Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco as he did not send off Alderete despite some aggressive tackles.
Alderete went on to score the winner in the second half in a stadium that was dominated by Paraguay’s red and white colours. Messi shirts were not visible on TV footage.
“We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled,” said Argentina’s Martinez. “We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong in this match, but generally speaking we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward.”
Messi had multiple arguments with the referee and videos of the incidents are now going viral on social media platforms. The former Barcelona footballer was seen arguing with the officials midway through the match and also after the completion of the game.
Argentina stay on top of South American Qualifiers
Argentina, who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, continue to be on the top of the South American Qualifiers standings with 22 points from 11 matches while Paraguay continue to be at the sixth spot with 16 points from the same number of games.
They are now tied on 16 points with teams like Uruguay (4th) and Ecuador (5th). The top six teams from South American Qualifiers will directly qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Messi’s Argentina will now take on Peru on Tuesday in the final qualifiers of the November FIFA window, while Paraguay will face Bolivia.