Lionel Messi is expected to be fit to face England in the World Cup semi-final despite appearing to suffer a cut above his eye as Argentina beat Switzerland.
The Little Magician has rolled back the years this summer, netting eight goals and two assists in just six appearances at the World Cup.
The most recent of those assists came in the early stages of Argentina’s 3-1 quarter-final defeat of Switzerland, during which Messi appeared to suffer an injury.
He took an inadvertent whack to the face from Granit Xhaka as he pressed his Switzerland team-mate, and was pictured with a small amount of blood around his right eye. An Argentina physio then gave him an ice pack and cleaned the affected area during the following hydration break.
Messi was able to continue, ultimately playing the full 120 minutes, and is now expected to lead the line on Wednesday as Argentina face England for a spot in the final.
Elsewhere, there was concern surrounding Tottenham’s Cristian Romero, who was hooked midway through extra-time.
He had suffered a knee injury ahead of the tournament, sparking further concern, but was quick to allay fears of a fresh issue at full-time, confirming that he was merely tired.
“I hadn't played for more than three months,” he told reporters. “The heat and everything made it difficult. I finished a bit tired, and the coach put [Nicolas] Otamendi in, who was fresher.”
Romero has been a mainstay in central defence for Argentina this summer, and got on the scoresheet in the comeback defeat of Egypt. He is expected to recover and go again as Lionel Scaloni’s men face England.
Boca Juniors’ Leandro Paredes was also hauled off in extra time to be replaced by Jose Lopez, sparking more concerns of an injury, but the change was simply tactical. He is also expected to return in time to face England.
