Javier Mascherano has been obliged to defend Lionel Messi after the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored one of his worst penalties against Charlotte on Saturday night. The 38-year-old had an opportunity to give his team the lead in their MLS match in the 32nd minute, but his attempted panenka was easily deflected over the bar by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Charlotte took the lead just two minutes later and eventually won 3-0 thanks to Idan Toklomati’s hat-trick. This only fueled criticism of Messi, who could have transformed the game’s outcome if he had converted from 12 yards out. But Mascherano was not going to let his star player take the blame, and he spoke out in the aftermath.
Mascherano Defends Messi After Penalty
On social media, many fans mocked Messi for the mistake, with one responding to the film with Jamie Carragher’s iconic words to Casemiro: “Leave the football before the football leaves you.”
However, the Inter Miami manager was not going to take the criticism of his old Barcelona player, stating:
“We can’t be unfair and cling to the penalty; if there’s someone who helped us win in the season, it’s been Leo.”
While he appears to be flawless in almost every other aspect of football, penalties appear to be his Achilles heel, as the miss against Charlotte marked the 32nd occasion in his long career that the Argentine has failed to score from the spot.
It is, however, his first miss since arriving in the United States, having converted the previous three in the pink of Miami.
Messi retired from Argentina duty after missing a penalty in the Copa America final shootout defeat to Chile in 2016. At the moment, the renowned forward was only 29 years old, but he would return to La Albiceleste months later to help them qualify for the 2018 World Cup. His persistence will eventually pay off when he won the iconic trophy in 2022.
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