In Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated return to international play, Argentina couldn’t secure the win against Venezuela, ending in a 1-1 draw during Thursday’s World Cup qualifiers.
Lionel Messi
ESPN
Messi, now 37 and fresh off an injury from July’s Copa America final, showed flashes of brilliance, assisting Nicolás Otamendi’s goal just 13 minutes after a delayed kickoff due to heavy rain.
“It was an ugly match. We couldn’t even make two passes in a row, the ball stopped because of the water on the pitch. It is difficult to play in these conditions, the pitch did not help.”
Leo Messi
Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring for Argentina
Sources
Geronimo Rulli, standing in for suspended Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, put on a stellar performance between the posts, shutting down multiple first-half attempts by Venezuela’s Salomon Rondon.
But Rondon wouldn’t be denied for long—he tied it up in the second half with a killer header off a Yeferson Soteldo cross.
Despite late-game subs from coach Lionel Scaloni, including Leandro Paredes and Lautaro Martinez, Argentina struggled on the soaked pitch, failing to find a winner.
Venezuela’s solid effort moves them to sixth place in the standings with 11 points.
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Publish date : 2024-10-10 19:54:00
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