'Chile didn't let us go to the bathroom!' - Argentina's De Paul angry at World Cup qualifying treatment
Rodrigo De Paul has said Chile mistreated Argentina during their trip to Calama on Thursday for a World Cup qualifying match.
The midfielder alleged that the hosts did not let his team use the bathroom when they departed their plane, among other complaints, and said Argentina would never handle an opponent in that fashion.
Still, Argentina emerged with a 2-1 victory through goals from Angel Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez. They are in second place in CONMEBOL and have already booked a spot at the 2022 World Cup.
What has been said?
"They didn't even let us go to the bathroom when we got off the plane," De Paul told reporters. "They cut off our air conditioners, we had no water and they made sirens sound throughout the stay.
"I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but, as an Argentine, every team that comes to my country, we have to make them feel as comfortable as possible and we have to win on the playing field where it belongs."
Argentina won anyway 🤭 pic.twitter.com/Drk0ZgfuGx
— GOAL (@goal) January 28, 2022
Argentina win without head coach or captain
The Albiceleste were without manager Lionel Scaloni and captain Lionel Messi because of Covid-related decisions, as Scaloni was recently diagnosed with the illness and Messi has only just recovered from it.
However, the side were able to hold on to a 2-1 advantage over the final 56 minutes of the match.
"Surely there are things to improve, but the team showed character in a difficult environment," said assistant coach Walter Samuel. "Messi is the leader of this team, but we were able to do very well without him. We lacked other guys because of Covid that we wanted to be there, but the team made a great effort and I want to thank them for that.
"The character of the boys is moving. All the players start from scratch and want to earn a place in the World Cup. There is healthy competition here."