We came to see the chronicle of an announced death, Diego Maradona reacts to Argentina’s elimination from World Cup 2018

Prior to the World Cup 2018, it was a known thing that Argentina were not going to the tournament with one of their best sides.

The situation got tensed when they drew against World Cup debutant Iceland in their opening match in the group stage. That was followed by a 3-0 thrashing by Croatia that pushed Argentina to a brink of elimination.

Lionel Messi, who was under massive criticism for not scoring for his side this World Cup finally joined the party with his early strike in Argentina’s must-win group match against Nigeria. Eventually, Marcos Rojo’s goal just before final whistle ensured Argentina qualified for the next round.

However, their weakness was exposed against France on Saturday and no one, including legendary Diego Maradona was surprised to watch Argentina’s exit.

“We came to the cinema more than the pitch, because we came to see the chronicle of an announced death. And that's what happened. France contained Messi, Argentina's midfield, so he could not get in behind them.

"Without Messi we are just another team. The game was played in a way we anticipated. What we were expecting happened. Another World Cup has gone and we are left with nothing. It's bad that another World Cup happened and Argentina did not manage to have a consistent team,” Maradona told teleSUR.

Argentina’s World Cup winning captain also slammed the tactics of his country’s football coach, Jorge Sampaoli. He said, “It was seen from the formation, Pavon, Messi and Di Maria had to attack. Yes, they can create play, but they are not strikers."

Maradona, who attended all Argentina’s matches in World Cup 2018, was again in the limelight for a bizarre reason. He was pictured kissing a blonde in the Kazan Arena during Argentina’s Round of 16 game against France on Saturday.