National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Ekpenyong Emmanuel
Superstar Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Argentina crucial upcoming matches against Uruguay and Brazil due to a “low-grade” injury to his adductor muscle.
The 37-year-old Inter Miami forward, who is Argentina’s top scorer in the qualifying campaign with six goals, suffered the injury during Sunday’s Major League Soccer win over Atlanta United.
Messi’s absence seems to be a significant setback for Argentina, who are leading the South American qualifying group by five points from Uruguay with six games remaining.
Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, will have to find a way to replace Messi’s creativity and goal-scoring prowess if the team is to secure qualification for next year’s World Cup.
The team’s chances of winning the qualifying group have taken a hit, and they will now have to rely on other players to step up and fill the void left by Messi’s absence.
Messi, who has scored 112 goals from 191 international appearances, expressed his disappointment at missing the two matches, saying it was a “shame” to miss such important games.
However, he vowed to support his teammates from afar, saying he would be “cheering from here like a fan.”
Argentina will also be without injured Roma striker Paulo Dybala and River Plate full-back Gonzalo Montiel, adding to Scaloni’s selection headaches.
Brazil, meanwhile, will be without Neymar, who is recovering from a thigh injury.
With Messi’s injury, the pressure is now on Argentina’s other players to deliver and secure qualification for the World Cup.
