after there are wasted opportunities, Lionel Messi makes gestures and grinned after Argentina scored against Bolivia.

Even though he was a substitute player for Argentina versus Bolivia, captain Lionel Messi sat on the bench alongside his teammates.So, while seated in the club section at Hernando Siles Stadium, he was acting just like a fan.

Messi was kept by the coaching staff due to feeling some discomfort in his right hamstring, which is why he requested a change in the match against Ecuador last Friday. Despite physical problems, “number 10” does not want to miss the always complicated trip to La Paz to accompany the team in the second match of the South American qualifier on the way to the 2026 World Cup.

From the beginning, Lionel Scaloni’s team dominated the match, neutralizing the opponent and creating many scoring situations. First, Rodrigo De Paul’s shots from medium range went wide of the post, then Enzo Fernandez also tested goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra. On both occasions, Messi regretfully said “uhhh” on the bench and put his hands behind his head.

The relief came from Enzo Fernandez’s goal. The camera pointed straight at the Inter Miami star seconds after the midfielder wearing the number 8 shirt made the difference. Messi smiled at Leandro Paredes, who was sitting next to him on the bench, and celebrated with the rest of the team in the technical area.

In this match, Argentina won 3-0 thanks to goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Tagliafico and Nicolas Gonzalez.