During the match between Paraguay and Argentina in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Paraguayan fans caused outrage when they threw plastic bottles at Lionel Messi while he was taking a corner kick.

Not only did they throw bottles, some fans also used insulting words, calling Messi a ” shitty dwarf”, making the atmosphere on the field even more tense. The incident happened when the match was very heated and Argentina was having difficulty finding a goal.

Argentina had taken a 1-0 lead through Lautaro Martinez in the 11th minute but Paraguay fought back strongly. Antonio Sanabria equalised with a superb overhead kick in the 27th minute, before Omar Alderete made it 2-1 early in the second half.

Despite Argentina dominating possession, they were unable to find an equalizer and lost the match. Messi did not make a significant impact in the match and only had one shot that went over the bar. He was also fouled several times but the referee did not give Alderete a second yellow card despite Messi being roughed up.

Messi was hit with a bottle by a fan.

The incident of throwing bottles and insulting Messi has caused a wave of criticism on social networks and in the media. Many people believe that this action is not only uncultured but also goes against the spirit of sportsmanship.

In the clip, Messi also could not hide his boredom by continuously shaking his head after he kicked the water bottle out of bounds to continue the match.

Despite the defeat, Argentina still maintained their top position in the table with 22 points after 11 matches, while Paraguay rose to 6th place with 16 points.

The Paraguayan fans’ disrespectful actions towards Messi will likely be reviewed by FIFA and could lead to severe penalties for the team.