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The family members of Argentina’s Lionel Messi were attacked in the stands by Chile fans during the first half of the Copa America final between the two sides in Santiago, according to a report by Goal.com. The supporters of the La Roja insulted the Barcelona forward’s family just before half-time, which led to an altercation between them.
Clearly irked by their behaviour, the 28-year-old’s brother Rodrigo got into a heated exchange with the fans and was hit by one of them. Before things got out of control, the whole family were moved away from the stands at half-time, and spent the rest of the match in a television cabin as a safety precaution.
Meanwhile, Messi was bullied by the opposition defenders at the Estadio Nacional, and was quite lucky to have finished the game without any injuries. He was on the receiving end of a violent kick on the chest from defender Gary Medel in the first half which looked extremely malicious but was only worthy of a yellow card.
According to the report, members of Sergio Aguero’s family were also the target of insults from the Chile supporters, which is quite a common occurrence in South American football. Thankfully there were no physical altercations to jeopardize the match, which had to be decided on penalties.
It was a tense affair with no side dominating or creating any clear-cut chances, and both sides were evenly matched till the end of extra time. Only Messi converted his penalty in a disappointing shootout for the Albiceleste, which saw Higuain and Ever Banega miss their respective efforts.
Chile dispatched all their penalties with ease and took the win courtesy a cheeky Sanchez panenka penalty, as Chile ended a 99-year wait for a Copa America trophy, and extended Argentina’s 22-year barren run without a major trophy.
It was the second time in a year Messi has finished on the losing side, following Argentina’s loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup.
