Buenos Aires [Argentina], June 11 : Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni revealed that Lionel Messi asked to be substituted during the final minutes of their intense 1-1 draw with Colombia at Estadio Monumental.
In a pulsating contest, Luis Diaz dazzled with his electrifying solo effort to put Colombia ahead in the 24th minute of the first half. The home crowd stood stunned at Estadio Monumental while cheers from the away crowd grew louder.
Argentina's woes increased after Enzo Fernandes was shown a red card in the 70th minute for his challenge on Colombia's Kevin Castano. While grappling for the ball, the Chelsea star raised his foot a bit too high and caught Castano in the face, drawing blood and leading to immediate medical attention.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, Scaloni, to everyone's surprise, brought Messi off the field for Exequiel Palacios. Just a couple of minutes after the substitution, Argentina, down to 10 men, restored parity through Thiago Almada's precise finish into the bottom corner.
Scaloni spilt the beans about the reason behind his decision and revealed it was Messi who decided to get substituted. The Argentinian manager was pleased with the way his team fought despite being reduced to 10 men and without its ace forward, Messi.
"Leo wasn't going to come off, but he ended up coming off near the end. He (Messi) told me it was better for him to come off, and so we decided to change him. The good thing we always showed, with 10 men and without Messi, is that we kept looking, not giving up on a ball. That makes us very satisfied," Scaloni said as quoted from Goal.com.
After securing a 1-1 draw, Argentina remained undefeated and continued to lead the CONMEBOL qualification standings with 35 points from 16 matches. Argentina's final qualification fixtures are set to be held in September against Venezuela and Ecuador, respectively. Meanwhile, Brazil qualified for the World Cup 2026 after securing a victory over Paraguay.
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