Messi: It is impossible to play in La Paz

Messi: It is impossible to play in La Paz

Argentina's Lionel Messi reacts on the field after they lost to Bolivia in their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match in La Paz April 1, 2009.
BUENOS AIRES, April 2 -- Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi said on Thursday that "it is impossible to play" in the 3,600 meters high of La Paz, administrative capital of Bolivia, where the Argentine national team was defeated 6-1 by Bolivian team in the World Cup qualifier.

"It is impossible to play (in La Paz). You made a play and it took too much to recover," Messi said, however he added that "everybody will play there so there is not excuse."

Messi said that his opinion "is not for contradict" the one from Maradona, and he said that the players are "hurt for the way things happened, we did not expect to lose and of course not in the way it happened, but we must continue, the altitude issue must be useful for us because on June we will play against Ecuador."

Messi said that "Bolivia did everything they wanted and we were not able to do anything" and he added that the team "has faith to be successful and get the ticket to the World Cup" because "still there are six matches to play."

Currently Paraguay is the leader of the South American qualifying zone with 24 points, followed by Brazil with 21, Chile with 20, Argentina with 19 and Uruguay with 17.

In June Argentina will face Colombia and Ecuador.
(Xinhua)