Catastrophe! Argentina press wails at World Cup ‘disaster’
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentina’s media stuck the boot into Lionel Messi and his teammates on Thursday, branding the team’s World Cup defeat to Croatia a “catastrophe” and a “humiliation”.
Argentina face the prospect of an embarrassing fi rst-round exit in Russia after suffering a 3- 0 loss to the Croatians in Nizhny Novgorod, which left them with one point from two games.
For Argentina’s press, the result was too much to bear.
“Catastrophe against Croatia, Argentina disappoints and is on the way out of the World Cup,” the Clarin newspaper wrote on its website.
“Argentina were ridiculed by Croatia and has jeopardised its future in the competition,” La Nacion added.
Television commentator Diego Latorre, of the TV Publica network, ref lected on the lacklustre contribution of Messi.
“Messi was at a standstill, he was off the pace, depressed,” Latorre said.
The Infobae website described the loss as a “humiliation”.
Infobae took aim at the blunder by goalkeeper Willy Caballero that handed Croatia their opening goal early in the second half, describing the howler as “incredible”.
Former Argentina defender Oscar Ruggeri, a member of the 1986 World Cup-winning team, noted that Caballero had been selected “because he was meant to be good with his feet.” — AFP
NIZHNY NOVGOROD: As an excited Diego Maradona twirled his shirt from the stands and thousands of Argentina fans bayed before kickoff against Croatia, Lionel Messi was seen rubbing his forehead in stress.
He managed just 20 touches in the first half, the fewest of any Argentina player, and trudged off uncomfortably.
Yet worse was to fol low in Thursday’s second half of horror at Nizhny Novgorod as Croatia destroyed Messi’s team with three goals for Argentina’s worst group stage defeat in 60 years.
About to turn 31 at the weekend, the Barcelona genius left the pitch looking lonely and broken after a game that may have ended his chances of ever winning a World Cup.
Maradona, the 1986 World Cup winner whom Argentines constantly compare him to, went from waving a No. 10 Messi shirt to wiping tears out of his eyes, slumped in his seat.
On social media, and among fans, the big debates over Messi - Is he as great as Maradona? Is he better than Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo? - f lared up fast and savagely.
“I’m ashamed of this shirt. Right now, I want to burn it. Where was Messi? Where were Argentina?” said Renzo Alvarez, 47, shouting angrily among a group of angry fans, all wearing Messi shirts and some sporting masks of his face.
“We have come all this way, spent thousands of dollars we can ill afford, cheered them to the rafters, and they show no heart, no balls, for the nation. I
I’m ashamed of this shirt. Right now, I want to burn it. Where was Messi? Where were Argentina? Renzo Alvarez, 47-year-old Argentina fan
simply can’t believe it.”
Messi memes quickly sprung up on the Internet.
“Missing: Have you seen this man? Last seen, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Russia,” read one mockup of a Wild West poster with Messi’s bearded image.
Playing at his fourth World Cup, with the heartbreak of a 1- 0 defeat against Germany in the 2014 fi nal still raw, Messi and Argentina now face the shocking prospect of going out in the fi rst stage unless remaining Group D results go their way.
He has already resigned from international footbal l once - after missing a penalty during a shootout against Chile in the 2016 Copa America final - but was persuaded back by pleas from fans, family, teammates and Maradona.
But given he will turn 35 at the next World Cup, and is clearly creaking under the weight of expectation, most expect Messi to quit the international stage some time after Russia.
On Thursday night, he was upstaged by Luka Modric, Croatia’s man- of-the-match playmaker and 32-year- old captain who played with joie de vivre and scored a stunning goal.
By contrast, Messi barely fi gured, marked out of the game by an ultra- disciplined Croatia, unable to get a shot on goal, and only managing to thread telling passes on two or three occasions.
As against Iceland in Argentina’s opening draw, when he missed a penalty, Messi trudged off silent and thunder-faced.
“Leo is our heart and soul, but we couldn’t find him with the ball,” said manager Jorge Sampaoli, urging fans to turn their ire on him and not on Messi.
Though it was Modric who showed him up on Thursday, the comparison that most hurts Messi is with his great La Liga rival Ronaldo.
The Portuguese great has already won a major international trophy at the 2016 Euros and has begun his latest World Cup campaign at a canter with four goals in two games.
Unless something extraordinary happens, Messi may soon be watching Ronaldo from outside Russia.
Argentina now need to beat Nigeria in their fi nal group game and hope other results go their way to prevent a humiliating early exit. — Reuters