Lionel Messi’s action-packed 2024 season is wrapping up on a challenging note with a recent losing streak.
The World Cup champion and Inter Miami star in the MLS went scoreless as Argentina fell 2-1 to Paraguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Thursday night.
Paraguay’s Antonio Sanabria wowed with a bicycle kick, and Omar Alderete scored the deciding goal early in the second half, assisted by Messi’s Inter Miami teammate Diego Gomez.
Argentina struck first with Lautaro Martinez, the top scorer from their Copa America title run, netting a goal in the 11th minute. However, despite several attempts, they couldn’t score again for the rest of the match.
Messi is set to play his last game of the year next Tuesday in Buenos Aires when Argentina faces Peru in another World Cup qualifier.
"Peru will be a completely different opponent, but it comes with its own challenges. We’re going to prepare well, and hopefully, we can give the fans something to celebrate," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni remarked following the match.
Messi is currently on a three-game losing streak
Messi has now faced three consecutive losses for both club and country, including Inter Miami’s defeats in Games 2 and 3 of their first-round MLS Cup Playoff exit against Atlanta United. His MLS season concluded last Saturday.
This marks only the third time in Messi’s career that he has experienced three straight losses.
In 2014, Messi and Barcelona experienced three consecutive defeats: a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, a 1-0 La Liga defeat to Granada, and a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.
In April 2016, they faced another tough streak with a 1-0 La Liga loss to Real Sociedad, a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals second leg, and a 2-1 La Liga loss to Valencia.
Argentina suffers its second loss of the year.
For Argentina, it’s the second loss in their last four matches, but just the fifth overall defeat in 69 games for the reigning World Cup champions and two-time Copa America winners.
The other losses in the run before Thursday’s defeat:
- Argentina lost 2-0 to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals.
- Argentina opened the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 22, 2022.
- Argentina lost 2-0 to Uruguay in a World Cup qualifying match on Nov. 17, 2023.
- Argentina lost 2-1 to Colombia in a Copa America final rematch on Sept. 10 in a game Messi did not play due to an ankle injury.
Messi challenges the referees, but Argentina remains at the top of the CONMEBOL standings.
In the 25th minute, Messi took a shot inside the penalty area that sailed over the net and into the stands after being deflected by Gomez, the No. 1 player on MLS's 22 Under 22 list this season.
As the match approached halftime, Messi engaged in a lengthy discussion with three referees. He had reason to be frustrated, having been fouled at least three times by Paraguayan defenders in the first half without any yellow cards being issued for the challenges.
Messi’s second half was similarly quiet, despite his efforts to help Argentina equalize.
"We played well in the first half, but the first action at the start of the second half made things difficult," Scaloni said, referring to Alderete's game-deciding goal. "We have to congratulate our opponents, who defended very well."
Argentina remains at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings with 22 points but could lose the lead on Friday when second-place Colombia (19 points) faces Uruguay. Brazil is third with 17 points.
Paraguay’s win brought them up to 16 points, though they remain behind Uruguay and Ecuador in the standings. The top six teams from CONMEBOL will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
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