“Pass the damn ball to Messi” “Made me mad” - Argentina fans enraged by attacker’s woeful performance in 1-0 Ecuador win
Argentina fans were enraged by Nicolas Gonzalez's poor performance and a moment involving Lionel Messi in Argentina's 1-0 win over Ecuador in a friendly on Sunday, June 9.
Gonzalez did not start the match but came on for midfielder Leandro Paredes with 12 minutes of regulation time remaining. Towards the dying moments, the Fiorentina player missed a wonderful one-on-one opportunity where he could have even crossed the ball to Messi.
Pointing this out, a disgruntled fan wrote on X:
"Just pass the damn ball to Messi!!!!"
Reacting to this moment, another fan said:
"Made me mad."
Discussing the same incident, a fan wrote:
"Forget the pass, that finish is woeful!"
Another added:
"He's a flop and will remain the same."
On similar lines, a fan commented:
"What nico doing man."
Shocked by the player's selection, a fan said:
"Again, why is Nico Gonzalez called up??"
Another commented:
"That guy called Nico, I prefer not to speak."
On the night, Gonzalez managed just four touches of the ball and lost possession twice. He failed to record an accurate pass from two attempts while missing one big chance.
The attacker competed in one ground duel, which he failed to win, but came out successful in his only aerial contest of the night. Overall, Gonzalez has made 32 appearances for Argentina, bagging five goals.
Angel Di Maria scored the match's only goal in the 40th minute from a Cristian Romero pass.
Lionel Messi wants to win Copa America after Argentina's World Cup success
Lionel Messi has stated his team's ambitions to win the Copa America this summer. This comes after Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, beating France in the finals 4-2 on penalties (3-3 at full time).
Argentina will kick off their Copa America campaign against Canada on June 20, before which they have another friendly lined up against Guatemala on Friday (June 14).
Messi told Pollo Alvarez in a recent interview about the upcoming continental competition (via Mundo Albiceleste):
"I live here and keep trying to achieve things, to keep winning. Now we have another challenge with the national team, to try and win the Copa America."
The 36-year-old attacker will surely have to play a crucial part if Argentina are to do well in the competition. Messi has made 181 appearances for the national team, bagging 106 goals and 56 assists.