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Fans were unhappy with Luataro Martinez for his performance in Argentina's win against Ecuador on Friday (September 8), where Lionel Messi scored the only goal of the game.
Despite having played 11 games for his new club Inter Miami since July 22, Messi was in the starting XI against Ecuador. After being frustrated by the visitors for 77 minutes, Argentina found the breakthrough in their first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Messi whipped in a stunning free kick to hand his team all three points. However, fans were unhappy with Martinez up front, who did not make a tangible contribution before being taken off in the 77th minute for Julian Alvarez.
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One moment in the game saw Martinez clumsily bring down Messi while the latter was making a run inside the box. Both players had their eyes on the ball, and the Inter Milan striker did not see Messi's run.
One fan tweeted:
"hes so useless"
Another added:
"Lautaro Martinez hates his country, I swear to God!"
Here are some of the top reactions on X, formerly called Twitter:
Martinez (26) ended the game with just two shots, with none of them being on target. He also missed one big chance and completed 71% of the 24 passes attempted.
Lionel Messi continues incredible scoring form for Argentina
Lionel Messi is showing no signs of slowing down with age. The 36-year-old has scored 24 goals and laid out seven assists across competitions since the start of 2022.
Seven of those goals came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he walked away with the trophy and the Golden Ball award. Some expected the former Barcelona superstar to hang up his boots after winning the World Cup in December — the last missing trophy from his collection.
However, Lionel Messi continues to play for La Albiceleste, be it friendlies or competitive games. His next appearance is likely to come against Bolivia on Wednesday (September 12) on matchday two of the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Bolivia are the Inter Miami superstar's favorite international opponent, as he has scored the most goals against them (8) than against any other country. It remains to be seen if Messi makes his return to action for the MLS side for their league game against Atlanta United four days later.
