Lionel Scaloni reveals Lionel Messi asked to be substituted in Argentina's 1-1 draw with Colombia after Enzo Fernandez red card

Argentina were pushed to their limits on Tuesday night to salvage a draw against Colombia. An electrifying solo effort from Liverpool winger Luis Diaz put the visitors in front early in the first half, leaving the home crowd stunned at Estadio Monumental.

Things worsened for Argentina when midfielder Enzo Fernandez was shown a straight red card in the second half. The Chelsea star raised his boot too high in a contested ball and inadvertently caught Colombia’s Kevin Castano in the face, drawing blood and prompting immediate medical attention.

With Argentina still trailing, Scaloni surprisingly took off Messi in the 78th minute, a decision that sent alarm bells ringing among Argentine fans. However, just a couple of minutes after the substitution, Thiago Almada produced a precise finish into the bottom corner and ensured Scaloni’s side remained undefeated in their qualification campaign.

After the final whistle, Scaloni revealed that it was Messi himself who asked to be taken off.

"Leo wasn't going to come off, but he ended up coming off near the end," he said. "He (Messi) told me it was better for him to come off, and so we decided to change him. The good thing we always showed, with 10 men and without Messi, is that we kept looking, not giving up on a ball. That makes us very satisfied."

The draw sees Argentina continue to lead the CONMEBOL qualification standings, with 35 points from 16 matches. Their final qualification fixtures are scheduled in September against Venezuela and Ecuador, respectively. Meanwhile, arch rivals Brazil also confirmed their place at the global showpiece event in 2026 after securing a victory over Paraguay on the same night.