Lionel Messi found himself in the middle of a heated altercation during Argentina's shock 2-0 defeat at home to Uruguay in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday morning after he grabbed an opponent by the neck.
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The Albiceleste suffered their first WC qualifying defeat since 2017 in the early hours of Friday morning, after goals from Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Liverpool's Darwin Nunez stunned the home team in Buenos Aires.
Uruguay are currently coached by ex-Argentina manager Marcelo Bielsa, whom Messi was quick to credit in an interview after the feisty game.
"We had a hard time playing. They are intense. They play one on one, they have physical and fast players in the middle. It was hard for us to find out game," he said, according to Mundo Albiceleste.
"We never felt comfortable. We never found a way to have the make and keep it for long possessions. Maybe their game makes us speed up and we get caught up in their rhythm. They are a physical team, that works well and that is very dangerous on the counter attack.
"You can see Bielsa's hand in the team. They have a good team that plays well. We lost, this could happen. We have to get up and play a good game in Brazil."
Messi struck the woodwork and created the most chances in the game, but made headlines for an incident in the 20th minute after he came to the defence of teammate Rodrigo De Paul.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder was involved in a heated verbal row with Uruguay defender Mathias Olivera before the eight-time Ballon d'Or arrived on the scene, first pushing Olivera in the chest with his right elbow before briefly grabbing the Uruguayan by his neck.
Picado el clásico del Río de La Plata Discusiones entre Olivera y Messi pic.twitter.com/wKESAaOppm
— En el VAR (@EnElVar) November 17, 2023
After five matches, Argentina are still at the top of the 2026 World Cup qualifying standing, with Uruguay in second place. Brazil, meanwhile, are fifth on the table after losing to Colombia on Friday morning.
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Lionel Scaloni's men will take on the Selecao at the Maracana Stadium next week.
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