Argentinian national team coach Jorge Sampaoli calls Lionel Messi the best football player in the world and says that the criticism of his missed penalty kick against Iceland is undeserved.
The strike of the "Barcelona" star in the second half was saved by goalkeeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson and the match ended unexpectedly in a 1-1 draw.
Because of this, the Argentinians now face even more pressure, as tomorrow they will have to compete against the Nigerians who defeated the Croatians.
"We were quite disappointed that we didn't win. However, I think we bounced back," Sampaoli said.
"Leo shouldn't take all the blame. We are talking about a World Cup where there are millions of people. We all can miss penalties. The whole team must stick together in both good and bad moments."
"Sometimes football delivers unpleasant surprises."
Speaking specifically about the criticism directed at Messi, the strategist added: "I always say: when he scores a goal with the Argentine jersey, we all take credit, but when Argentina loses, it's all Leo's fault. I think that's unfair."
"The pressure on one player is too much, so I must say that I also feel responsible for that missed penalty, and I will celebrate Leo's goals just like any other Argentine."
"He is the best in the world and it's obvious that one person can't completely change the outcome of a match. Holding him accountable for the loss is not fair."
The match against Croatia will be played tomorrow at 21:00 Lithuanian time.
