MADRID - Moroccan football fans have expressed disappointment after news from Madrid about the absence of Argentine star Lionel Messi from his country's match against Morocco.
The crowd was waiting to see Messi at the Tangier Stadium on Tuesday, but his thigh injury during a frustrating match for the top striker against Venezuela, who beat Argentina 3-1 in a friendly in Madrid on Friday, decided he would miss the next confrontation.
Messi showed glimpses of his charm but was not his night as Venezuela shook Argentina three times for the first time thanks to the goals of Salomon Rondon, John Morio and Joseph Martinez, while Otaru Martinez goal Argentina.
Messi, who finished the game but felt a thigh pain, will miss Morocco's friendly in Tangier on Tuesday, the Argentine Football Federation said.
But the injury, described as renewed for a previous injury, is not serious and Gonzalo Martinez will miss the Morocco match because of a groin problem.