Uruguay continued their remarkable start to life under Marcelo Bielsa last night, securing a historic 2026 World Cup qualifier victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires. However, their actions during the game have not gone down well with Lionel Messi.
The two-time World Cup winners have been in fantastic form since the appointment of the former Leed United manager. They defeated Brazil in a qualifier in Montevideo last month, a first win over their neighbours since 2001.
They would produce another piece of history last night. This time it came via an away win Argentina, who they defeated 2-0 at La Bombonera. It was their first victory over the nation since 2005 and ends a 25-game unbeaten run for the Argentines in World Cup qualifiers.
Liverpool's Darwin Nunez was the man to seal the victory late on with this strike.
¡Imparable! Darwin Nuñez le puso cifras definitivas a la gran victoria de @Uruguay, como visitante, ante #Argentina, por la Fecha 5 de las #EliminatoriasSudamericanas. 👏🏆#CreeEnGrande pic.twitter.com/QV7mBz5zea
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) November 17, 2023
While this was a huge victory for Uruguay, a certain member of the opposition was not impressed with their conduct during the game.
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Lionel Messi calls out Uruguay conduct in qualifier loss
This fixture was the first time that Lionel Messi had played on home soil since winning an eighth Ballon d'Or last month, with the player receiving quite the reception before the game.
Will never get tired of the reception Messi gets at every Argentina game these days.
These used to be torture for Messi and Messi fans and it couldn’t be any different today. No more pressure, just so much love every single time.
Awesome.
pic.twitter.com/h2mBB1Aazv— Marc Geschwind (@MarcGeschwind) November 17, 2023
However, things would not go his way on the night.
Not only would Argentina fall to an unexpected defeat, but he would also be subjected to a rather explicit taunt by Uruguay and PSG midfielder Maneul Ugarte during the match.
— ataque futbolero pedofilo (@Borjalglesias) November 17, 2023
We will let you decide for yourself what Ugarte was saying.
Tempers were flared throughout the contest, with Messi also clashing with Mathias Olivera at one point.
Things got very heated during the Argentina - Uruguay match and a wild brawl started with Messi even elbowing a Uruguay player #ArgentinaUruguay #Uruguay #WorldCupQualifiers #Argentina#Messi pic.twitter.com/1cLecYDP1Q
— Sports channel (@Sportsvn_1) November 17, 2023
Speaking after the game, Lionel Messi called out the Uruguayans for their conduct during the fixture.
These kinds of games, qualifiers, against Uruguay, it's always like that.
I prefer not to say what I think. Young people have to learn to respect their elders.
'These games are always intense but very respectful, so they have to learn a little.
Uruguay are well known for their full-blooded approach on the pitch, something that includes attempting to get under the skin of the opposition. The trick seems to have worked on Lionel Messi on this occasion.
World Cup qualifying is a long process in South America, with the teams involved now just five games into what will be an 18-game group campaign. Argentina and Uruguay are currently the top two in the group, although Brazil are struggling after their dramatic defeat to Colombia last night.
With plenty of fixtures still to be played, you can expect quite a bit more entertainment from these teams over the next year or two.
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