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Argentina Hockey Team
Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days because of an injury to his adductor. The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni. Later Monday, Inter Miami said Messi the reigning Major League Soccer MVP underwent an MRI to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region, an injury that the team said occurred in Sunday's win over Atlanta United. The examination's findings confirmed the presence of a low-grade injury in the adductor muscle, Inter Miami said. His clinical progress and response to treatment will determine his availability for competition. Argentine media initially reported Messi suffered a sore left thigh on Sunday during Inter Miami's 2-1 victory. Argentina, which leads South America, will visit second-placed Uruguay on Friday and host fifth-placed Brazil four days later at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. Messi was not the only ...
Six-time champions Germany and Argentina earned hard-fought wins over Spain and Netherlands respectively to enter the semifinals of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup here on Wednesday. In the first quarterfinal of the day, Germany eked out a narrow 3-1 win over Spain in the shoot-out after both the teams were locked at 2-2 in regulation time, before Argentina beat Netherlands 2-1. Germany took the lead from a penalty stroke through Christopher Kutter in the fifth minute but the lead was shortlived as Ignacio Abajo equalised for Spain from a penalty corner six minutes later. After two barren quarters, it was Spain who shocked the Germans in the 59th minute when Eduard de Ignacio-Simo scored a fine field goal to give his side the lead. There was more drama in store as just at the stroke of the hooter, Germany secured a penalty corner and Masi Pfandt stepped up to take the match into shoot-out. In the shoot-out, Paul Smith, Michel Struthoff and Hannes Muller found the back of the