The recent World Cup qualifier clash between Argentina and Uruguay saw some heated exchange of words between some of the players from both teams. The temperes were flaring as the incident also saw Argentina’s Lionel Messi among the thick of things.
As per the reports, one of the Uruguayan players gestured something towards Argentina’s Rodrigo De Paul. The matter slowly got heated as players from both parties gathered. Lionel Messi was also involved in the heated brawl, as he reportedly grabbed the neck of an opposition player.
However, Leo wasn’t pleased with the gesture made towards his teammate. In the post-match interview, the veteran reportedly stated – “I prefer not to say what I think about some gestures. But these young people have to learn to respect from their elders”. The 36-year-old further inflicted the match being a hard and intense one.
🚨 Leo Messi: “I prefer not to say what I think about some gestures. But these young people have to learn to respect from their elders. This game was always intense and hard but always with a lot of respect. They have to learn a little bit.” 🇦🇷🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/U6vGfdYXye
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) November 17, 2023
Leo was of the opinion despite the fierce nature, the match was always played “with a lot of respect”. He reportedly concluded his statement by stating – “They (Uruguayan players) have to learn a little bit”. It can be inferred from number ten’s statement that he didn’t like the way things panned out during the game.
However, fans around the world have reacted to the comments by the legendary player. A fan wasn’t pleased with Leo’s action towards the opponent’s player. He wrote – “Some of these guys look up to Messi and he behaves like a goon strangling people shameless character”.
Some of these guys look upto Messi and he behaves like a goon strangling people 😂😂😂😂shameless character. pic.twitter.com/MaiizaMOfS
— s7ayan (@s7talks) November 17, 2023
Another follower stated – “Respect is earned. When you try to choke your opponent of course you will lose the respect. So accept and move on”. Another fan chipped in and ironically inflicted – “I like the way Messi respected him”. It can drawn from the reactions of the fans that, Leo’s comments have backfired on him.
Uruguay registers their first win on Argentina’s soil
According to the reports, Uruguay recently registered its first victory over rival Brazil since the year 2001. They have now followed it up with another milestone win over Argentina in their latest match. The team defeated La Albiceleste by two goals to nil in the World Cup qualifier match.
This was reportedly Uruguay’s first victory over Argentina since they defeated them in the year 2013. Another thing that majorly stood out from this victory was that it was Uruguay’s first win on Argentina’s soil in their soccer history.
Uruguay’s last 2 matches. 🇺🇾
– First win over Brazil since 2001.
– First win over Argentina since 2013 and the first ever on Argentine soil.
Two 2-0 wins. Two clean sheets.
Araujo scored the opener vs Argentina as well. pic.twitter.com/UyTONF20WQ
— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) November 17, 2023
The Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo reportedly opened the scoring for his team in both the matches against Brazil and Argentina. The Sky Blues will next face Bolivia in their sixth qualifying match. The match will be hosted by them, so they will fancy themselves for a win, considering the home-crowd advantage.
Uruguay currently sits at the second spot in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification table with 10 points. A win against Bolivia could see them equal the points with Argentina sitting at the number one spot with 12 points to their name.