Argentina began its 2024 Copa America journey on a positive note. Lionel Scaloni’s side managed to clinch a decent 2-0 victory over Group A rivals Canada. Yet, the biggest talking point of the match remained a heart-clenching moment that saw Lionel Messi facing the risk of a potential injury. While it raised concerns over his fitness, La Pulga’s teammate Emiliano Martinez was quick enough to reassure fans regarding his skipper’s status.

In a post-match interview with journalist Gustavo Yarroch, the Aston Villa goalkeeper insisted that he wasn’t worried when Messi went down. According to AlbicelesteTalk on X, he said, “Nah… the little one is made of rubber.” This short yet powerful message is enough to pour cold water over the concerns of the Argentinian skipper’s injury.

Notably, the incident transpired when Messi was charging to win the ball, and Canadian center-back Moïse Bombito tackled the 36-year-old out of the blue. Though Bombito’s tackle was clean, as he cleared the ball first, his cleats made contact with Messi’s right ankle. The Inter Miami star went down, causing concern among his ardent fans. Fortunately, he managed to finish the rest of the game without any hiccups.

Ultimately, Messi must find ways to stay injury-free while shouldering the responsibility of leading his team to victory. However, the biggest roadblock ahead of him might be the poor pitch conditions. Even his fellow teammates weren’t happy to play in such circumstances and didn’t spare any criticism regarding pitch quality.

Messi’s teammates double down on criticism over poor pitch conditions

While reflecting on the victory in the post-match interview, Tottenham star Cristian Romero criticized the field conditions at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. He noted: “The pitch conditions were very ugly. Having to play this competition on a pitch like this is regrettable.” Interestingly, Emiliano Martinez also shared similar, views, saying, “The pitch was a disaster; they put sod on top of synthetic turf, and it felt like a trampoline every time we received the ball.”

The goalie added, “That’s when you realize the obstacles they put in our way, but we are a team that keeps going, going, and going.” Despite the challenges, Argentina managed to secure a crucial three points. After a goalless first half, Julian Alvarez gave Argentina the lead in the 49th minute. Later, in the 88th minute, Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead, finishing brilliantly from a Lionel Messi setup. Certainly, a similar performance is expected from Argentina in their next group-stage fixture.