MOSCOW: Lionel Messi appeared tense as Argentina face the humiliation of a group-stage exit after a shock 3-0 defeat by Croatia that left the South Americans needing an unlikely series of results to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.
Barcelona star, who is known for being a calm and collected character, avoids confrontation with other players, choosing to let his football do the talking rather than portray himself as overly macho and unnecessarily aggressive.
However, Messi’s pain was obvious in the later stages of Thursday night's shocking defeat against Croatia, the football star reacted angrily after crashing to the ground with Strinic, who accidentally made contact with his face.
Viewers then noticed an exchange between Messi and Ivan Strinic, and many were stunned by the way in which the Argentine reacted. He grabbed Strinic's leg and threw it to one side, while Croatian appeared to apologise to Messi.
The incident passed without punishment, but fans on social media brought attention to it, with many saying they'd never seen Messi react in this way before.
It is pertinent to note that Messi failed to make any impact on the match as Croatia dominated the two-time winners of the competition.
Meanwhile, fans took to social media to comment on Messi throughout the match; first to point out how stress he looked with the weight of a nation's expectations on his shoulders, and then to try and find a reason as to why he appeared so lost on the pitch.
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