Lionel Messi, the leader of Argentina, talked to the press after their 2-0 loss to Uruguay in the World Cup qualifying. The tense game against Uruguay was the main topic of conversation, and Messi said that the younger Uruguayan players needed to learn how to show respect.
Lionel Messi and Argentina lost for the first time since their World Cup loss to Saudi Arabia.
Both Argentina and Uruguay are almost certain to make it out of World Cup qualifying and into the event in 2026. With four wins and one loss, Argentina is still in first place in the South American qualifications.
“That level of intensity is normal.” Qualifiers are a part of these games. It always goes like this against Uruguay. According to TyC Sports, Messi said, “I’d rather not say what I think.”
Messi was talking about the rude move that Manuel Ugarte of Uruguay made towards Rodrigo De Paul.
“Young people need to learn how to bow down to older people.” This classic was always heavy and tough, but with a lot of respect. He said, “They need to learn a bit.”It was hard for us to play. They are very strong. They play one-on-one, and in the middle, they have strong, quick players. It was tough to figure out the game.
“We were never at ease. We couldn’t figure out how to keep the ball for long amounts of time. That’s why their game made us speed up too, and now we’re in a groove. They are a strong team that works well but also poses a lot of risk.
Messi thought Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay team played well, and he hoped that his team would do better in their next game against Brazil.
“Bielsa has a hand in the team. Their team plays well. We lost, and this could happen again. We need to play well in Brazil.”