Messi flops for Argentina again, misses Aguero in Colombia draw

Argentina did not benefit from any magic on the pitch from Lionel Messi on Wednesday, as they only managed a 2-2 draw against Colombia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The biggest question of the evening was why Messi and Sergio Aguero were not on the pitch together.

The Albiceleste had a brilliant start to the match, with Cristian Romero finding the back of the net in the opening three minutes. Just five minutes later, midfielder Leandro Paredes doubled the lead. The opening ten minutes looked very promising for Argentina, but they were not able to keep the momentum on their side. Messi had a largely quiet first half, with neither of the other two forwards effective in the attack.

Interestingly, the much-hyped partnership between Messi and his new Barcelona teammate Sergio Aguero was not used by manager Lionel Scaloni. Angel di Maria and Angel Correa were also left on the bench in an unusual move from the manager.

Colombia fought back and put themselves on the scoreboard with a Luis Muriel penalty just before the half-time break. That woke Argentina up a little bit, with Messi and Lautaro Martinez finally challenging David Ospina in the second half. However, Colombia had the last laugh as they found the equaliser late into stoppage time. A mistake from Juan Foyth paved the way for Miguel Borja to make it 2-2 and to salvage a point for Colombia.

Fans are up in arms about why Messi and Aguero were not fielded together. They have had great chemistry in the past, the same one that FC Barcelona is banking on for the upcoming season if Messi signs his contract extension. Aguero did not even come in as a substitute, but Scaloni may already be thinking about the upcoming Copa America.

Argentina will be facing Chile in their opening match on Monday, and Scaloni will be eager to do well in this event. Messi will likewise be coming into the competition with extra motivation, as he seeks a major trophy with his national team squad.