Lionel Messi is refusing to reveal what he said to Robert Lewandowski during his awkward altercation with the Polish striker.
Lewandowski tried to offer a handshake and apology to Messi after fouling the Argentina captain with his team hanging on grimly to a place in the last 16 of the World Cup. Messi spurned his offer - and then gave the Barcelona forward a few choice words in return.
They later shook hands at the final whistle after both teams had confirmed their qualification for the knock-out stages. Messi said: “Nothing happened. I have been taught that everything that happens on the pitch remains on the pitch, like in the dressing room. The things that we say to each other in private will never come out of me.”
Argentina secured a 2-0 victory to go through as group winners - despite a missed penalty by Messi - and will now face Australia. Poland will meet defending champions France after scraping through on goal difference.
Messi’s message was that Argentina will not underestimate the Socceroos after the shock of defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in their opening game. It was the South Americans’ first defeat in 36 games - and their captain believes it gave them the reality check they needed.
Messi said: “It is a very even World Cup. There is no easy team to play. It is clear that anyone can beat anyone - we have lived it first hand. Any team that is organised can make it complicated for you.
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"We have taken one more step, but we know it is now going to be very tough. Losing to Saudi Arabia was a huge hit, but the team needed to go through that adversity. Looking back now, it was a great test for us because we had not lost a game for a long time.
"We had been achieving positive things and sometimes that gives a false impression. So we had a bad time in the first game but we worked it out. We took it as the lesson it was.”
Messi added: “The team came out stronger after the missed penalty. We were convinced that we were still going to win. It was just a matter of the first goal going in.
“Once we scored that goal, the game was going to be played the way we wanted. We said from the beginning that everyone in our squad knows what they have to do and is always fully prepared.
“That is the strength of this group. But now we have the confidence to trust our game again. That was what cost us in the first game, but hopefully we can continue to maintain it.”
Argentina will take on Australia at the Al-Rayyan Stadium on Saturday, with Messi hoping his team can progress having fallen at this stage four years ago. The winner will then face either the Netherlands or the United States in the quarter-finals.
