The story of Argentina’s national team victory over Venezuela wasn’t the three goals they scored in Caracas. The main story was the injury scare that Lionel Messi suffered during the fixture.
In the first half, Venezuelan defender Adrián Martínez went in for a tackle, but instead of dispossessing the ball from Messi, the defender ended up hitting the 34-year-old in the shin.
Martínez would receive a red card leaving Venezuela with ten men, and eventually, Argentina’s talent would take advantage by scoring three unanswered goals. After the match, the defender would take to Twitter and apologize for the tackle that could’ve injured Messi.
“Today I have no words. Those who know me know that I would never go against the physical integrity of a colleague. I just want to apologize to the coaching staff, my teammates, and all the Vinotinto fans who support us from the heart. I love my country and I assume my responsibility,” Martínez said.
Messi would eventually shake off the tackle and play for the rest of the match, but it seems as though Martínez is remorseful for the incident. Argentina and Messi left Venezuela for Brazil as the second fixture of this three-day matchday week will see a Copa America final rematch.