Lionel Messi had reasons to complain about Roddy Zambrano's poor refereeing during the game between Brazil and Argentina, where La Albiceleste urged the Ecuador ref to check VAR technology for two potential penalty kicks.
The Argentine ace blasted the ref and blamed Brazil from controlling the outcome of the competition, and surprisingly, he found support to his claims from one of his rivals: former Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves.
Speaking hours after the game, the Brazilian right back supported Messi's words regarding the ref, in what seems to redeem Messi's exit from the competition rather than picturing him as a bad loser.
"The ref was even more nervous than us (the players). I can understand why Messi is so flustered," Alves said.
Then, the former PSG footballer looked into how fans tend to blame Messi for all of Argentina's shortcomings.
"When Brazil loses, we all lose. When Argentina loses, it seems like the only one who can be blamed is Leo," Alves added.
The former Blaugrana right back admitted that, even if A Canarinha is close to winning the title, the team needs to stay focused for Sunday's clash.
"We still have one more step left to reach our goal. Winning the title will not be as easy as some might think," Alves concluded.
