Lionel Messi’s Argentina on Friday lost their first game since the 2022 World Cup triumph. The world champions suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in a CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifying tie. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni after the match admitted that they were ‘never comfortable’ in the tie and congratulated the Fede Valverde-led team for the win.
Uruguay defeated Argentina 2-0 in their World Cup qualifying clash at the La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, marking their biggest win under new Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa. Ronald Araujo of Barcelona and Darwin Nunez of Liverpool scored the goals for Bielsa’s side.
Since Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group-stage of last year’s World Cup in Qatar, the team has not lost a competitive game at home since a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay back in 2016.
Despite the defeat, Argentina still lead the South American qualifying table with 12 points after five games, followed by Uruguay (10 points), Colombia (9) and Venezuela (8). Brazil (7 points) will play host to the World Cup winners at the Maracana Stadium in Brazil’s capital city of Rio de Janeiro.
Uruguay deserved the win: Lionel Scaloni
Lionel Scaloni faced the media after the defeat and frankly talked about the shortcomings of his team in the match. On being asked about his thoughts on the game, he said, “The truth is that it was a game where we were never comfortable. They deserved the victory, without a doubt. We never found the way, that is the reality. We tried in the second half to correct it with some changes but well, it seems that it was not our day. But, I repeat, it is their credit for how they played.
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“I think this team showed ample signs that it can get out of difficult situations. Here you lose and win as a team, there is no other way. There are times when you have to give credit to your rival. We cannot think that because we are world champions we will never lose. We are not unbeatable, I said it and I will continue to say it. The players feel backed by the support of the people, I hope it will always be like that,” Scaloni added.
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