AN ANGRY LIONEL Messi blasted the refereeing after Argentina were denied two penalties in their Copa America semi-final loss to Brazil.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino saw Brazil overcome Argentina 2-0 in Belo Horizonte last night.
However, Argentina hit the woodwork twice through Sergio Aguero and Messi, and twice had penalty shouts turned down.
Nicolas Otamendi went down under a heavy challenge from Arthur following a corner, and Aguero appeared to be brought down by Dani Alves, the latter occurring just before Firmino’s sealer.
Messi felt Argentina deserved two spot-kicks, with VAR – which has dominated headlines at the Copa America – not asking the referee to look at either incident.
“They were not better than us. They found the net early and the second goal came from a penalty [to Aguero] they didn’t award,” Messi told reporters.
“They [the officials] had booked a lot of bullshit, but they didn’t even check the VAR, that’s incredible.
“That happened all over the game. At the first glance of contact, they ruled in their [Brazil's] favour and this kind of bullshit distracted us from the game.
“There is no excuses for us, but we need to review this, analyse it and let’s hope Conmebol does something about it.”
Messi, whose wait for a first senior trophy with the national team continues, praised Argentina’s performance against Brazil.
“I think we played a great game. We made a great effort and they were not superior to us,” he said.
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Wah, wah, waaaaaah…
Doesn’t lose well does he the privileged little git. For all his talent he won’t be remembered for his class. Just would not have survived the physicality in Maradona’s era, still the greatest Argentine international of all time.
@ℝ: look at messi’s teammates, do you actually expect him to win anything with that team? Also, at least messi hasn’t wasted his career after a couple of good years like ronaldinho or maradona
@ℝ: are you mental? Did you think before you posted that?
@BOH®: very h
@Eoin Murphy: he has a lot of great team mates, that’s a lame excuse.
@ℝ: did you see the game? I didn’t but am open minded enough to consider he might be right.
@ℝ: and the international stats back that up
@ℝ: The game back in Maradona’s day was a slow and tame as a wet Sunday…
@Eoin Murphy: Horse dodo if ever I have heard it , he’s been an senior international since 2005 and played along side some of the best
@Mel Fitzpatrick: it wasnt the Jurassic period
@Eoin Murphy: Messi’s teammates are undoubtedly of a higher standard than Diego’s! Messi is one of the greatest players ever. Diego is the greatest of all times!
@mar: but diego was arguably a drug cheat which taking cocaine or even more stuff who knows can aid his game , messi is a role model, even though loved maradona like i like gazza header but a genius on the pitch
@Paddy D: not sure if cocaine is performance enhancing
@Paddy D: Maradonna was a brilliant player long before he ever saw cocaine, that was mostly to take edge of the Naples parties of put the edge back on.
@Mel Fitzpatrick: lol Rubbish, sure go the full hog and say it was a weak era. So the game slowed down after Cruyff, Pele and George Best.
@mar: look through the starting 11 last night. 4 better than average players all attacking players.
@ℝ: twit
seen the game …two of them were definitely penalties if var was called.. typical brazil just like the olympics
@Paddy D: Home team advantage. Maybe when Argentina host next year they might get a few themselves. Even Dani Alves came out and said the ref was out of his depth and looked nervous.
@Conor Flynn: defo
Has never been able to do it properly for his country and sadly his days of a Barca great are winding down also , at 32 his legs will start to go now which are huge part of his game
@Adam Gibson: he’s winding down alright… only managed 51 goals last season and top scorer in the champs league. Pretty sure he topped the assists lists too. Also happens to be his country’s highest ever goalscorer but yeah he’s never done it for Argentina.
@Adam Gibson: He scored one of the best hatricks ever seen to drag Argentina through the WC qualifiers. He got them to a final pretty much on his tod inspite of the coach dropping Aguero. The guy is a once in a lifetime player as Maradonna and Pele were. Was Cruyff a failure too? He won nothing with Holland (got to finals with brilliant teams) but with Barcelona and Ajax he was properly recognised. Think this bile really does nothing but really show up your ilk as idiots
@The Bloody Nine: Zzzzz against who ???? Nothing teams !!! That’s who
@Adam Gibson: yeah, all 51 of his goals were against ‘nothing teams’… you know your stuff, Gibbo.
@Adam Gibson: lol like Ireland you mean. Beckham got knighted for scoring against Greece FFS. Going by your expert analogy Cruyff was pretty shite too, George Best done nothing along with Cantona, Souness Daglish, Giggs, Hughes, Keane, Rush plus basically every English born premier league star there is. But hey you keeping venting your crap and most (sane) people will arrive at the same clonclusion, idiot
@Ado Smith: why because my opinion is different… very sorry big tough hard man that your are on a keyboard.
I don’t think he will be remembered with the same reverence as Pele and Maradonna. I put him along side Ronaldo, and although I think he’s being a better player for his club his international record and going missing in big games goes against him.
I’d love to see him play for another club without the security blanket of having some of the worlds best players flanking him!!
Something he’s always had at Barcelona.
A lot of people like to talk about which player is the best Peel, maradonna , cryuff etc but I don’t think you can compare players from different era’s
Messi, the common dominator with your lack or success on the international stage is you and your teammates. Take a look at yourself before the referees
@Brian Burke: bit rich saying that especially coming from a nation of basically division 1 and 2 players like ours
@Ado Smith: This is about Argentina, he and they have had enough good players around to be able to win something. I don’t know why you brought us into it for.
@Brian Burke: if you actually realised the hypocrisy of anyone in this country (or others) calling out Messi for being a failure as you implied after what he has produced over the last decade and more its truly laughable. Genuinely embarrassed for you
@Ado Smith: Messi’s international career has being a failure. Our own situation doesn’t change that
@Brian Burke:
He is a class act ::the way he presents himself :: happy my kids think he is GOD and so do I::Madona was great but a thug ::
From the @The Bloody Nine:
Messi only managed 51 goals last season and top scorer in the champ’s league. Pretty sure he topped the assists lists too. Also happens to be his country’s highest ever goal scorer but yeah he’s never done it for Argentina.
He is the perfect example of a SPORTS STAR for all ages !!
Sad to see this but Messi has been in decline now for a few years. Stale now like barca. GOAT CR7 took up a new challenge with a move to Italy and clearly above Messi over the last few years.