“He is just too good”, “I admire him” – Fans claim 27-year-old is the ‘owner’ of Argentina when Lionel Messi is not around after win over Indonesia
Fans hailed Giovani Lo Celso as he showed up for Argentina in Lionel Messi's absence. La Albiceleste earned a 2-0 win against Indonesia in Jakarta in their final game of the Asia tour.
Leandro Paredes opened the scoring in the 38th minute of the match. The PSG player, who was out on loan at Juventus this past season, found the back of the net from a long way out. Cristian Romero scored a second-half header to add to La Albiceleste's advantage. The Tottenham Hotspur defender has now scored two goals for his country, both with headers.
However, it was Lo Celso who impressed the fans the most. He registered one assist in the game. The 27-year-old also completed 96 passes with a stunning 93% accuracy. Lo Celso completed three crosses and seven long balls as well. He also created two big chances.
Fans were thoroughly impressed and showed their appreciation for the player on Twitter. One of them wrote:
"He is so good, I just admire him."
Another fan claimed:
"Nah man, he is just too good."
Another fan showed high expectations, writing:
"When Messi is not around, the owner of football in Argentina is Lo Celso."
Here are some of the best Twitter reactions as Giovani Lo Celso dazzled for Argentina in Lionel Messi's absence:
Argentina players, including Lionel Messi, hailed Giovani Lo Celso as he missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Giovani Lo Celso, unfortunately, missed out on the FIFA World Cup winner's medal. The player was injured and couldn't be a part of the La Albiceleste team that won the world championships in Qatar.
However, he had the full support of his teammates. After Argentina defeated Croatia in the semi-final of the World Cup, Lo Celso, along with Sergio Aguero, joined the squad.
Speaking about them, Lionel Messi said (via football.london):
"That Gio and Kun [Aguero] are with us is beautiful because they are part of us too."
Rodrigo De Paul, meanwhile, said:
"He is one of the most important players on the squad and it was also a hard blow that he was left out."
The World Cup disappointment is in the past. Argentina are set to take part in important tournaments in the near future. Lo Celso, given his quality, is almost certain to be a part of Lionel Scaloni's team in those tournaments.