Parisian giants PSG and Lionel Messi fans should be immensely thankful that the iconic superstar was lucky to avoid a horrifying injury after being on the wrong end of a vicious tackle that could have ended his football-playing days in Argentina’s win over Venezuela.
Argentina cruised to a 3-1 victory over Venezuela in their World Cup qualifier, with Lautaro Martínez, Joaquin Correa and Angel Correa getting their names on the score-sheet as the Venezuelans were reduced to ten men after Adrian Martinez produced a crippling tackle on Messi in the first half.
Martinez’s extremely dangerous tackle caught the Paris Saint-Germain superstar high on the leg and the Argentine talisman immediately hit the deck. The match referee eventually flashed the red card to Venezuela’s number six following a VAR review.
The other Martínez, Lautaro, had put Argentina in front just before the break, with Joaquin Correa and Angel Correa scoring a goal each in the second half. Venezuela’s Yeferson Soteldo managed pull one back after converting a 94th-minute penalty.
The story of the game, however, was the horrific tackle on Messi, who fortunately recovered and actually soldiered on to complete the game like the true-blue trooper and lynchpin he is.
One fan tweeted: “Disgusting tackle on Messi from Martinez, really unnecessary.”
A third added: “Thank god he’s ok! Looked brutal on slow motion.”
Messi will be back in international action on Sunday when his side face Brazil in a repeat of the Copa America final.
Argentina also face Bolivia during the international period.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
