Lionel Messi receives apology 'on behalf of Paraguay' as defender Omar Alderete pens open letter to Argentina forward after tense match that resulted in icon's 'coward' outburst at referee

Argentina were on the end of a surprise 2-1 defeat to Paraguay during the two sides' World Cup qualifying clash at Estadio Defensores del Chaco. Lautaro Martinez's early opener was cancelled out by Antonio Sanabria's strike past Emiliano Martinez before Alderete scored just after half-time to give the World Cup winners their third loss in the qualifiers.

In what was a rather dull night for Messi on the pitch, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was still the focus of the proceedings for two separate incidents. The Inter Miami star was on the receiving end of a number of hard tackles from Alderete and complained to referee Anderson Daronco. However, when the match official rejected the claims, cameras picked up Messi taking his frustrations out on the referre and said: "You are a coward, I don't like you". The second incident came when Messi attempted to take a corner, he was targeted by Paraguay fans who threw bottles at the former Barcelona man. Alderete has now sent an apology to Messi for the fans' behaviour.

On Instagram, Alderete wrote to Messi and said: “Dear Leo Messi, I want to apologize on behalf of my country for the unfortunate incident in which someone threw a bottle at you. You are an idol for millions here and around the world (especially for Fede).

"We deeply regret this disrespectful act that does not represent the affection and admiration we feel for you."

The Argentina captain will now be in action when La Albiceleste take on Peru on November 19 as they look to break their three-game winless streak.