World Cup Qualifiers: Argentina Suffers Shock Defeat Against Paraguay; Lionel Messi Engages In Heated Exchange With Referee

Argentina faced a tough night in the World Cup qualifier as they conceded a 1-2 defeat against Paraguay.

Asuncion (Paraguay): Argentina faced an upset in the World Cup qualifier fixture against Paraguay on Thursday in the match against Paraguay. In the South American World Cup qualifying match, Argentina lost 1-2 to Paraguay in Asunción. Despite, Lautaro Mart­nez's early goal in the 11th minute of the match, Paraguay scripted a bounce back in the fixture and also scored a winning goal. Paraguay’s Antonio Sanabria scored the equaliser through a bicycle kick in the 19th minute. Paraguay scored the winning goal in the 47th minute and sealed a win for the team.

Despite the defeat, Argentina is at the top of the points table amassing 22 points from 11 matches. The victory boosted Paraguay’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup as they moved closer to the top five.

"We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled. We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong, but generally speaking, we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward,” Martinez said after the match.

Lionel Messi in a verbal spat with referee

A video of Argentinian star Messi has gone viral where he was seen engaged in a heated conversation with the referee. He was seen pointing a finger at the referee and expressing his frustration over the decision not to send off Omar Alderete in spite of aggressive tackles. His antics drew a lot of reactions from the social media users.