JAKARTA - Lionel Messi suffered a muscle injury which ruled him out in the final match of Group A of the 2024 Copa America between Argentina and Peru on Sunday, June 30, WIB. However, because Argentina has qualified for the next round, Messi could be given the opportunity to rest more.
"Leo has a problem for the last game, he will not appear in that game," Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel said, as reported by AFP on Saturday.
Launching ANTARA, Saturday, June 29, Walter Samuel explained that the Argentine medical team continues to monitor the condition of Messi's right-footed educator muscle injury. However, he stressed that the team would not force Messi to play, but would field Angel Di Maria as his successor.
"The team can always carry out their duties when Messi is not there," said Samuel, who has played alongside Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
SEE ALSO:
"We will go through day after day while waiting for the recovery process," Samuel added, hinting that Argentina would field Angel Di Maria to replace Messi.
Argentina has secured a place in the Copa America quarter-finals after a 1-0 win over Chile and a 2-0 over Canada. A draw against Peru at Miami Hard Rock Stadium will ensure Argentina qualify for the top eight as group winners.
However, Argentina said it would not be eyeing a draw, but a win over Peru.
"Pere has top players. We looked at the game very seriously," said Samuel.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
