Lautaro Martinez’s late goal ensured that the defending champions secured a vital victory over Chile in their second group match of Copa America 2024 on Wednesday. With consecutive wins against Canada and Chile, La Albiceleste became the first team to advance to the knockout stage.
However, amid the celebration of securing a spot in the next round, Argentina received worrying news about Messi’s injury. The Inter Miami star confirmed post-match that despite playing the entire 90 minutes, he experienced some “discomfort” during the game. Messi, aged 37, was seen receiving treatment from medical staff after a tough challenge from Chile’s Gabriel Suazo.
Speaking to reporters afterward, the former Barcelona forward mentioned, “I felt some discomfort in my right hamstring at the beginning of the game. It was tight. It wasn’t as loose as it should’ve been. But I was able to finish the game. We’ll see how it goes.”
With a quarter-final place already secured, Scaloni may opt to rest his captain for Argentina’s final group match against Peru, scheduled for Saturday. During his post-match press briefing, the manager stated, “Against Peru, the guys who didn’t get minutes in these matches (Canada and Chile) will play.”
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
ArgentinaThis season he played in total 12 times for 1034 minutes for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi scored 12 goals for Inter Miami. He procured 10 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami won 2-1 against Columbus Crew.
Inter Miami performance and stats
Inter Miami
Inter Miami is currently 1st in the Major League Soccer with 27 points.
In the last 20 games, it has won 12 times, drawn 5 times, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Inter Miami won 2-1 against Columbus Crew.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 35 goals and conceding 20.
