“It bothers me a little” - Lionel Messi provides injury update after difficult adductor problem in 1-0 Copa America win vs Chile
Lionel Messi provided an injury update after Argentina's 1-0 win over Chile in Copa America 2024 on Tuesday, June 25. He is set to undergo tests on Wednesday for an adductor problem.
Messi complained of some discomfort in the first half of the clash against Chile after being on the end of some tackles. The medical team gave him some treatment and he completed the 90 minutes. However, he didn't look entirely comfortable and also complained to the referee about Chile's aggressive tackles.
After the game, Lionel Messi provided an injury update, saying (via TyC Sports):
"What do I know? It bothers me a little, but I was able to finish playing. I hope it's nothing serious. It was at the beginning of the first play. I didn't feel a puncture, it became hard. It was difficult for me to move freely because of the discomfort. Tomorrow I will see how we continue."
He also said that he was a bit ill coming into the game against Chile as well, saying:
"I've been coming here for a couple of days with a sore throat, with a fever, maybe that took its toll on me today too. It's not something old or something I had, just a contracture. We'll see."
Argentina will next face Peru at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on Saturday, June 29 in their final Copa America 2024 group-stage game.
Journalist reports Lionel Messi will miss Copa America clash against Peru
Argentina have already qualified for the Copa America 2024 knockout rounds after winning their first two games against Canada and Chile. Their final group clash against Peru is mainly just a dead rubber. This could provide an opportunity for manager Lionel Scaloni to rest some key players.
As per journalist Gaston Edul, Lionel Messi will be among the players who will not feature against Peru. He reported on X:
"Leo Messi said that he is fine. He will rest against Peru and play the quarterfinals."
Lionel Messi also had some injury issues before coming into the tournament as he missed around 10 games for Inter Miami across competitions.
Regardless, he has been good for Argentina at Copa America despite not being at his best. He provided an assist in their 2-0 win over Canada in the opening game. Across two matches, he's created 10 chances and completed eight dribbles. He has, however, a couple of big chances.