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Argentina's Lionel Messi blames soaked pitch for Venezuela draw

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Lionel Messi blamed the conditions of the pitch Estadio Monumental de Maturín for Argentina's "ugly' 1-1 draw against Venezuela on Thursday night in their first World Cup qualifier of the October international window.

The heavy rain in Maturin, Venezuela impacted the pitch before kickoff, forcing an initial delay before players were able to return to play on the soaked field. Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring for Argentina, but Venezuela's Salomón Rondón levelled in the second half as the teams settled for a point apiece.