Twitter explodes after Messi fails to stand up for Argentina, again.
Lionel Messi did not have a shot until second half but failed to create his magic against Croatia on Friday.
Almost invincible in the entire match, Messi is being blamed for Argentina’s disastrous 3-0 loss in the Group D match in FIFA World Cup 2018.
Messi has won several laurels for his Spanish club, FC Barcelona and has starred in numerous finals for them but his case has not been the same when it comes to his country Argentina. Under Messi’s leadership, Argentina have lost three major finals - 2014 World Cup final and Copa in two successive editions and now they are on group stage exit in the ongoing World Cup 2018.
Several Argentine fans skipped work and gathered at the Plaza San Martin in the Retiro neighborhood, where the city of Buenos Aires installed a giant TV screen to air the live broadcast of the national team.
The party at the Buenos Aires fanzone fell flat as a crowd expecting a Messi-inspired Argentina World Cup revival could only watch in horror at as the nadir of Nizhny Novgorod unfolded.
But this was no party in Buenos Aires as fans young and old hid their sky blue-and-white painted faces in their hands, the classic reflexes of cinemagoers at a horror movie. Some wept and others hugged each other like survivors at a disaster scene. One man stood and gestured angrily at the big screen as passes went astray on the pitch in Russia.
"We lost very badly, they really humiliated us this time. And now, on top of that, we're depending on Nigeria!" said 22-year-old Joaquin.
Lionel Messi came in for particular criticism after an under-par performance.
"Messi, who keeps winning for Barcelona, who continues to deliver triumph after triumph for Barcelona, has given us nothing but defeats and sadness," said an angry Miguel Angel Gutierrez, 50, wearing an "Albiceleste" wig.
While there were several sad and angry faces at Plaza San Martin in the Retiro neighborhood, other fans across the globe did not hesitate to express their displeasure on social media. Here are some tweets:
Messi would be glad to know that there were a few tweets in his support as well:
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