ROME (ITALPRESS) – Benin’s national team witnessed a historic evening, but the match at the Monumental Stadium, Lionel Messi’s final appearance for Argentina, left a bitter taste.
Head coach Gernot Rohr told RMC Sport that his players had tried to approach the Argentine players after the match to exchange shirts, “but we couldn’t get even one. They didn’t give us anything, and we couldn’t even take a picture with Messi.”
The match had already been preceded by several setbacks. Benin eventually travelled with a squad packed with Under-23 players, amid complaints about the hotel conditions and the fact that they had not been given the opportunity to train.
The African players had hoped things would go better at the Monumental, “but they wouldn’t even let us enter the tunnel. Security prevented anyone from getting through. Some players had even brought their own shirts to exchange them with those of other Argentine players. We tried everything, but it was pointless,” Rohr added.
Before the match, Benin captain Sessi D’Almeida had presented Argentina’s number 10 with a statuette associated with the Amazons of Dahomey, a rose and a letter.
“Still, it was fantastic to be there for the farewell of a legend like Messi. The result was not the most important thing. From a sporting perspective, the aim was to learn and give our young players the chance to experience an international occasion that none of them could ever have imagined.”
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
