Argentina Icon Lionel Messi: “Inter Striker Lautaro Martinez Is Very Important To Us” | OneFootball

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has leapt to the defence of Lautaro Martinez after the Inter striker was criticised for a lacklustre display in the 2-1 win over Australia yesterday.

The Nerazzurri forward came off the bench midway through the second half but squandered numerous opportunities, as his woes in front of goal in the tournament in Qatar continued.

Despite being under fire for his failure to find the back of the net for Argentina yet, Martinez was defended by Messi in an interview with TyC Sport after the match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, as reported by FCInterNews.it.

“Lautaro is a very important player for us , he is a striker who thrives on goals,” the Paris Saint-Germain star declared.

“Now it is important that he is well for what is to come,” Messi added.

The former Barcelona forward opened the scoring for Argentina as they overcame Australia, setting up a clash against the Netherlands in the quarter-final on Friday.

Martinez made his international debut for Argentina in 2018 and has scored 21 goals in 44 appearances, but recently lost his place in the team to Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez.