Lionel Messi: My message is to have faith, we won't let the fans down

Despite the fact that FIFA initially announced that none of the Argentina players would speak in the mixed zone after their 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia, captain Lionel Messi did come out on behalf of all his teammates.

"There are no excuses," he said. "We are going to be more united than ever. This group is strong and has shown it. It is a situation that we have not been through in a long time. It is a big blow for everyone, we did not expect to start the tournament this way. Things happen for a reason. We have to prepare for what is to come, we have to win come what may and keep things in our hands."

Messi added: "It is a defeat that hurts, but we have to keep trusting in ourselves. My message to the supporters is to have faith. We won't let them down."

Controversy

Regarding the three Argentina goals disallowed for offside, the former Barcelona player assured that "they were very tight", although he acknowledged not having seen the images.

"But if they were ruled out, then they were (offside). There is no excuse," said Messi, who was the author of Argentina's only goal, scored thanks to a penalty that was also controversial.

Regarding the analysis of the match, Messi assured that "we knew that Saudi Arabia are a team with good players, that they move the ball well and play a high line. We worked on it, but they forced us a little. We did not find it easy to get one-on-one with the goalkeeper and we didn't move the ball at the right moment, which is something we've been doing for a long time."