Lionel Messi hopes leg injury sustained during Argentina's Copa America win over Chile not serious

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi hopes a leg injury sustained during Argentina's 1-0 Copa America win over Chile is “nothing serious”.

Playing a day after his 37th birthday, the Argentina superstar received treatment on the thigh area of his right leg for nearly two minutes after getting kicked by Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute on Tuesday night.

Messi, however, stayed on the field as the defending champion clinched a quarterfinal berth.

He told reporters after the match that it was “nothing serious”. Messi added: “It's bothering me a little bit but I was able to finish the match. It was hard for me to move freely, particularly side to side. We’ll see tomorrow how it feels.”