How did Chile do it?
We have no idea, but they did, and we expect a flood of Spanish and European managers to be asking for the secret to their success later this week after Lionel Messi showed the first sign of decline.
Well, when we day decline, we mean he had an off night for his country, as Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to secure their place at the 2018 World Cup.
Messi did lay off the ball for the game’s winner by Gabriel Mercado but by his high standards, the Ballon d’Or winner was not at his very best for his country.
The Argentina captain was not his usual threat in and around the box, and for the first time in 117 games, he failed to have a shot on target.
STAT OF THE DAY: Lionel Messi failed to have a shot for the first time in 117 matches for Argentina vs. Chile. pic.twitter.com/YupdMp3H8K
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 25, 2016
We’ll hardly be calling for his retirement just yet, but we suspect that Ronaldo is having a chuckle somewhere in Madrid right now.
