In this morning’s intense matchup between Paraguay and Argentina, Lionel Messi found himself on the receiving end of multiple rough tackles from Paraguayan defender Omar Alderete. The repeated fouls especially escalated toward the end of the first half, with Messi becoming visibly frustrated as he tried to maneuver around Alderete’s aggressive play.

The tension began when Alderete delivered a dangerous challenge, leading with his studs—a move that instantly caught the attention of both players and fans. The referee, Anderson Daronco, quickly issued a yellow card to Alderete for his recklessness. However, just minutes after this booking, Alderete struck again, launching another harsh tackle at Argentina’s captain. This second foul prompted Argentina’s players to appeal for a red card, arguing that the back-to-back challenges on Messi warranted a stronger response from the referee.

Despite the appeals and the evident frustration among Argentina’s squad, Daronco chose not to escalate the disciplinary action, allowing the match to proceed without penalizing Alderete further. As the whistle blew for halftime, Messi was seen pointing at the referee, visibly unhappy with what he perceived as leniency in handling the Paraguayan defender’s persistent fouls.

The moment, captured by stadium cameras, highlighted Messi’s frustration over what many felt were questionable officiating decisions in a fiercely competitive first half. As the teams prepared to return to the field, the question remained whether the intensity would persist or whether stricter officiating would help to curb the aggressive play.