Lionel Messi misses Argentina game with pulled muscle

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was a late withdrawal with a leg injury from the Argentina side that lined up against Costa Rica in a friendly on Tuesday.

"I ...am very sorry about (Messi's) absence but he''s not in (fit) condition, we can't risk him," Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona said before kickoff.

"The world's best player has to be in the best condition and both Barcelona and the national team have to look after him like the rest (of the players) or more so," he was quoted as saying on the AFA''s website (www.afa.org.ar).

Coach Sergio Batista said: "I had prepared the team with (Messi) in it. We're not pressured by Barcelona or anyone...I think that with the scan done on him today, if he played he'd last five minutes.

"He suffered a pulled (right leg) muscle and we must look after the player, we can't take a risk. I'm sorry because I want him in the eleven and also for the crowd," Batista told Argentine media.

"We have to respect the timing for the Copa America (in Argentina in July) and for Barcelona," he added.

Palermo midfielder Javier Pastore stood in for Messi in a team with six changes from the side that drew 1-1 with the United States in New Jersey on Saturday.