Argentina midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes may never again be able to use an unorthodox pre-match superstition after their defeat to Uruguay.
Lionel Scaloni's side suffered their first defeat since the opening game of the 2022 World Cup on Thursday night, losing 2-0 to Uruguay in the South American section of qualifiers for the 2026 edition of the tournament in USA and Canada.
Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez scored either side of half time for Marcelo Bielsa's side, to lift them up into second place in the 10-team qualifying rankings.
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Despite the defeat, Lionel Messi was still impressive as he was hounded and harried by Uruguay players every time he touched the ball, and a compilation of his performance went viral after the match.
But he couldn't stop his nation from falling to defeat - which may have an adverse effect on team-mates De Paul and Paredes.
The pair have had an unusual pre-match superstition, as per AS, which began during the World Cup in Qatar.
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The plan sees Paredes and De Paul enter the field of play before their Argentina team-mates for the warm-up - just to eat sweets on the pitch.
With Argentina winning the World Cup final last year, beating France in the final on penalties, it is understandable that both players have wanted to keep the ritual going.
But now, after their first defeat in a year, they may have to ditch the ritual altogether - or think of another pre-match plan.
De Paul was inadvertently involved in a war of words during the match, with PSG and Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte calling him 'Messi's suck up'.
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After the match, Messi fumed: "I'd rather not say what I'm thinking but the [younger Uruguayans] need to learn.
"They have a good group. But they need to learn from the veterans how to respect. These games are always intense but very respectful, so they have to learn a little."
Featured Image Credit: TyC SportsTopics: Argentina, Uruguay, Lionel Messi, Football World Cup