Lionel Messi out for two matches
Barcelona winger Lionel Messi will miss at least two games after being on the receiving end of a horrendous tackle in yesterday’s match against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
The 23-year-old Argentinian was stretchered off in the second-half of the 2-1 win following a challenge from defender Tomas Ujfalusi, which bent Messi's ankle to an unnatural angle.
Messi, the current FIFA World Player of the Year, was fortunate not to have broken his right ankle, but tests have revealed that he has sustained ligament damage. That means he will not only miss league games against Sporting Gijon and Athletic Bilbao, but
that he is also set to miss the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Russian champions, Rubin Kazan, next week.
The 23-year-old had already made his mark on the game as he opened the scoring at the Vicente Calderon Stadium with a goal in the 13th minute.
Defender apologises for challenge
Meanwhile, Ujfalusi apologised to Messi for the challenge and said that he had not intended to harm the winger.
He said in a press conference today that, “I wanted to apologise. It was not my intention to hurt. I wanted to play the ball and had the misfortune to hit Leo when I came down on his leg. Yes, it was scary to see his ankle bent, but it was not my intention
to hurt. Yesterday it was not possible, but today I have sent a message from (Messi’s Argentina team-mate, Sergio) Aguero to apologise.”
The former Czech Republic international added that he believed he had made contact with the ball before making contact with Messi, a fact he thinks clears him of any claims that he intended to cause injury. He said that, “In the picture it becomes clear
that I am touching the ball before injuring his ankle. There were harder tackles than mine.”
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