Lionel Messi's eventful 2024 season is winding down with a tough losing streak.
The World Cup
champion and Inter Miami star was kept off the scoreboard as Argentina fell 2-1 to Paraguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.
Paraguay's Antonio Sanabria opened the scoring with a stunning bicycle kick, while Omar Alderete netted the game-winning goal early in the second half, assisted by Messi's Inter Miami teammate, Diego Gomez.
Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez, who played a pivotal role in the team’s Copa America victory, gave the world champions a brief lead with a goal in the 11th minute. However, despite several attempts, Argentina couldn’t find the back of the net again, leaving them with a disappointing loss.
Messi will play his final match of 2024 next Tuesday in Buenos Aires when Argentina faces Peru in another World Cup qualifier.
"Peru will be a totally different opponent, but it also presents its own challenges. We will prepare well, and hopefully, we can give the fans something to cheer about," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said following the loss to Paraguay.
Messi has now suffered three straight losses for both club and country, including Inter Miami’s defeats in Games 2 and 3 of their first-round exit to Atlanta United in the MLS Cup Playoffs. His MLS season came to an end last Saturday.
This marks only the third time in Messi's illustrious career that he has faced a losing streak of three matches in a row.
in 2014, Messi and Barcelona endured a similar run, losing the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal to Atletico Madrid 1-0, a La Liga match to Granada 1-0, and the Copa del Rey final to Real Madrid 2-1.
In April 2016, Messi and Barcelona experienced another three-game losing streak, falling 1-0 to Real Sociedad in La Liga, losing 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, and losing 2-1 to Valencia in La Liga.
For Argentina, Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Paraguay marked their second defeat in the last four matches, but just the fifth loss overall in 69 games for the reigning World Cup champions and back-to-back Copa America winners.
The other losses in this stretch include:
- A 2-0 loss to Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals.
- A shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their 2022 World Cup opener on November 22, 2022.
- A 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in a World Cup qualifying match on November 17, 2023.
- A 2-1 loss to Colombia in a Copa America final rematch on September 10, 2024, a match Messi missed due to an ankle injury.
Despite Argentina's 2-1 loss to Paraguay, Lionel Messi and his team are still atop the Conmebol World Cup qualifying standings.
In the 25th minute, Messi fired a shot from inside the penalty area, but it sailed over the net into the stands after being deflected by Diego Gomez, the No. 1 player on MLS's 22 Under 22 list this season.
Messi also had a heated exchange with three referees as the match went into halftime. He had reason to be frustrated, as he was fouled multiple times in the first half, with Paraguayan defenders committing tough challenges that did not result in any yellow cards.
In the second half, Messi’s influence was limited despite his efforts to help Argentina equalize. Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, noted, "We played well in the first half, but the first action at the start of the second made things difficult. We have to congratulate our opponents for defending very well."
Despite the loss, Argentina remains in first place in the Conmebol World Cup qualifiers with 22 points, though they could lose their lead if Colombia, currently second with 19 points, defeats Uruguay on Friday. Brazil is in third with 17 points. Paraguay, with 16 points, improved its position but remains behind Uruguay and Ecuador. The top six teams in Conmebol will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.