Argentine striker Lionel Messi recently opened up about his missed penalty against Iceland in the first match of the last World Cup.
After the second consecutive loss in the Copa América final, Lionel Messi decided to withdraw from the Argentine national team. In his absence, the Argentine national team struggled a lot, and even qualifying for the World Cup became a very difficult task for them.
Finally, Lionel Messi came out of retirement and scored a hat-trick in the final game of World Cup qualifying to book a place for Argentina in Russia. Although they were not the favorites, they had the ability to go deeper into the tournament.
But in their first group game they managed a shocking draw against Iceland. Despite taking the lead, Argentina could not secure all three points. The biggest point of the match was Lionel Messi’s inability to convert the penalty that would have given Argentina a good start in the tournament.
Lionel Messi talks about his missed penalty
After the shocking draw, Argentina lost their next match against Croatia. They somehow managed to win against Nigeria and qualified for the Round of 16. But a dominant team from France knocked them out of the tournament.
Now, ahead of the next World Cup, Lionel Messi has admitted that the tournament in Argentina could have been different if he had converted the penalty.
“First game in the World Cup. The first 15 minutes, the anxiety, and the nerves, for everything that happened to get to that game. Then you let go, but the first game is very important and it gives you peace of mind”, said the striker. (Via – Infobae).
He added: “I always said that if I converted the penalty (against Iceland) and we started winning, everything would have been different. That’s why it’s important to get off to a good start.”
Now, after four years, Lionel Messi will once again lead Argentina in the upcoming World Cup in Qatar 2022. Over time, Argentina has become one of the strongest teams in the world.
They won the Copa América trophy in 2021 and also Finallisima earlier this year. Under the able guidance of Lionel Scaloni, they have not lost a single game in their last 35 outings.
Argentina is a major contender for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. This will also be Lionel Messi’s last appearance at the perennial event. Lionel Messi, 35, is currently one of the fittest players in the world. He has scored eight goals and provided eight assists for PSG so far this season.
On top of that, the Argentine captain has scored nine goals in his last three appearances for the country. He is now determined to win the only trophy he hasn’t won in his great career.
