In a frustrating match held in Maturin, Argentina managed to secure only a 1-1 draw against Venezuela, despite a promising start. The game, which was delayed by heavy rain, was marred by poor pitch conditions that affected both teams’ performances. Captain Lionel Messi, who returned to international duty after recovering from injury, expressed his displeasure with the state of the pitch, stating, “It was very difficult, it makes for very ugly matches.” He noted that the wet conditions severely hampered Argentina’s ability to string together passes, resulting in a disjointed performance
Argentina took the lead early in the match with a goal from Nicolás Otamendi, but Venezuelan striker Salomón Rondón equalized in the second half with a header. Messi and teammate Rodrigo De Paul voiced their frustrations post-match, indicating that the conditions made it challenging to execute their game plan effectively(
The draw keeps Argentina at the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group, but it was not the outcome they had hoped for given their dominance in the match
