Lionel Messi attributed Argentina's challenging 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday night to the poor pitch conditions at the Estadio Monumental de Maturín, during their first World Cup qualifier of the October international window.
Heavy rains had drenched the field in Maturín, causing a delayed kickoff as the players had to contend with the soaked and unplayable surface. Argentina took the lead through Nicolás Otamendi’s opener, but Venezuela’s Salomón Rondón found the equalizer in the second half, forcing both teams to settle for a draw.
After the match, Messi voiced his frustrations to TyC Sports, highlighting how the adverse conditions affected the flow of play.
"It was very difficult. The conditions made the match ugly," Messi said. "We couldn't string two passes together. In the second half, we managed a bit better on the right side, but it’s tough to play like that. There was barely any real football played.”
Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate and midfield anchor, echoed these sentiments, pointing out how impossible it was to play their typical brand of football under such conditions.
“In this situation, we simply couldn’t play football,” De Paul said, clearly disheartened by the outcome.
Despite Argentina sitting atop the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings with 19 points from nine games, Messi left the pitch dissatisfied. He noted how the condition of the field prevented Argentina from executing their game plan as intended.
"We drew because the field didn’t allow us to play the way we wanted to. We had to adapt and play a different type of game than what we had prepared for," Messi explained. "We fought hard, won battles, and capitalized on the opponents' mistakes, but we couldn’t take risks with back passes. In the first half, a few passes to the back were stopped by the water, which made things even more difficult. Given the conditions, we played the best game we could."
Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, shared Messi’s concerns. He emphasized that the pitch was unsuitable for a match of this caliber.
"The field didn’t meet the minimum standards for a football match," Scaloni remarked. "You simply couldn’t play properly on it. We did what we had to do, but the pitch wasn't up to the level required for two teams of this quality."
Thursday's match marked Messi’s return to the national team after suffering a right ankle injury during Argentina’s Copa América final win over Colombia on July 14, 2024, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The injury sidelined Messi for two months, during which he missed several matches with Inter Miami CF and Argentina’s September World Cup qualifiers.
"The wait to play again with Argentina was long," Messi admitted. "I missed a lot of games with my club as well. But I’m happy to be back, to play consecutive matches, and to represent my country again."
Messi made his comeback for Inter Miami on September 14 against the Philadelphia Union, just missing out on Argentina's September fixtures. Despite his eagerness to rejoin his national squad, he opted not to risk further injury.
"I hadn’t played yet and had only completed limited training when the national team call-up came," Messi revealed. "I wasn’t at 100%, and physically, my ankle was still bothering me. Together, we decided it was best for me to stay with my club to continue my recovery."
With the draw behind them, Messi and Argentina now turn their attention to hosting Bolivia at the Estadio Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires for the final match of the October window.
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