Enzo Fernandez faces lots of criticism for his comments after Argentina’s loss to Uruguay
Enzo Fernandez’s post-match interview is getting a lot of attention for the wrong reasons after Argentina lost to Uruguay in their first game since Lionel Messi retired.
Fernandez, a Manchester City midfielder and the Premier League’s most expensive player, played the full 90 minutes in a fairly new-looking Argentina team. But coach Lionel Scaloni’s side let in two second-half goals. One was an own goal by defender Leonardo Balerdi, and the other was a header by Uruguay’s Maximiliano Araujo. Argentina scored once through Julian Alvarez, but it wasn’t enough.
After the match, Fernandez spoke to the media and his comments about Uruguay didn’t sit well with fans. Speaking inside Estadio Alberto J. Armando, he said he thought Argentina controlled the game and deserved to win. The team had 72% possession and 17 shots to Uruguay’s six.
Fernandez said Argentina only lost because Uruguay scored “two goals by chance,” which sparked backlash online. Uruguay’s first goal came from a free kick that Argentina gave away, leading to Balerdi’s own goal. The second was a corner where Araujo’s header went over the keeper into the net. Before that, Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez had a chance saved by Argentina’s goalkeeper Rulli.
Fans pointed out on Twitter that Argentina missed chances to stop the goals and reacted strongly to Fernandez’s comments. One wrote, “The arrogance and lack of humility are back.” Another said, “Those goals may have been lucky, but Uruguay beat a mediocre team.” Others said his response sounded bad or reminded them of similar losses, like when Manchester City lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest.
Argentina’s international break will end with a home friendly against Costa Rica. Scaloni tried out a younger starting lineup against Uruguay, including players like Thiago Almada, Nico Paz, and Exequiel Palacios. Some young players also came on as substitutes, like 22-year-old defender Augustin Giay, 20-year-old Gianluca Prestianni, and 22-year-old Roman Vega.