Brazil's Marquinhos Says Battling Diarrhea Made Defending Messi "Very Difficult"

Brazilian defender Marquinhos spoke highly of the Argentinian side his team disposed of on Tuesday in the semifinal of the Copa América, saying that both Lionel Messi and the whole of Argentina’s squad had an “inspired” night that made for a great game—Brazil went on to win 2-0. But while the task of stopping a team in that kind of form would have been difficult on its own, one thing that made the task even more difficult for the PSG player was a stomach illness he was battling during the game.

Per Goal:

“On the day of the game, I ended up suffering a virus, and I spent the day at the hotel. It was very complicated, I had diarrhea and was vomiting.

“I still managed to play, but with the effort I put in it worsened and eventually I had to leave the game.”

Marquinhos had to be subbed off in the 64th minute of the match for Miranda, who would continue to help keep Argentina out of goal. In total, the Brazilian defense would limit Argentina to just two shots on target for the game. Messi only had four chances, and provided four goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates—obviously, none were converted.

As for the player’s gastronomical woes, things did not stop with his return to the bench. Marquinhos told reporters that his problems kept getting worse after the game as he had to go to the stadium infirmary because of a fever he picked up. Thanks to “an injection” he received, he was able to recover just fine without too much hassle and is expected to play in the tournament final on Sunday against Peru.