Liverpool stars have flown to all corners of the globe during the international break with Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez at the heart of a furious incident during Argentina’s clash with Uruguay
Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister was involved in a mass brawl triggered by a poor tackle on Darwin Nunez while on international duty. The Reds playmaker was named in the most recent Argentina squad for the current international break.
And he was even handed a start in the South American nation’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina on Friday, where he came up against Liverpool teammate Nunez. But there was drama between the pair.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero had left the striker in a heap in the game with a mistimed challenge. That caused tempers to flare between the two sides, with players on each team piling in.
Mac Allister was one of those but he fortunately avoided further punishment and was substituted on the 80th-minute mark. And Nunez was fine to continue despite the challenge before he was eventually replaced in the 72nd minute.
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While there was no sending off following that incident, Argentina were actually reduced to ten men in the closing stages. Nicolas Gonzalez was sent off for catching Nahitan Nandez in the face with a high boot.
The 2022 World Cup winners still won the game thanks to Thiago Almada’s strike, with boss Lionel Scaloni hailing his stars for stepping up to the plate in the absence of a host of the country’s established stars. Speaking after the full-time whistle, he said: “The national team is a team. When one is missing, another steps up. We had some very important absentees but we have great players to go out on the field. The team is always more than just the names.”
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Following their ill-tempered showdown with Uruguay, Argentina are back in action next week as they face historic rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, Uruguay continue their World Cup qualifying campaign against Bolivia.
Nunez will certainly be aiming to find some form in his next outing having claimed he is ready to forget his Liverpool woes during the international fortnight. Speaking recently, he said: “[I’m motivated] to forget a little about what’s happening there [at Liverpool]. Besides, there’s nothing more beautiful for a player than wearing your country’s jersey.”
“These are moments that one goes through in football,” Nunez added. “I’m not someone who throws in the towel because they don’t play, but instead I’m going to keep working so I can play. I know I’m not performing as well as I should.”
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