Messi allays fears over knee injury

 MADRID, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona striker Leo Messi spoke¹ on Thursday about the moments of worry he felt after going down clutching² his knee during Wednesday night's Champions League tie against Benfica.

Messi collided³ with Benfica keeper Artur, before turning to shoot and immediately collapsing⁴ on the turn of the Camp Nou Stadium.

He was carried off on a stretcher and most feared he had suffered a serious knee injury, although tests later ruled that out. Speaking at a publicity⁵ act on Thursday, Messi said there was nothing serious in his knock, but admitted he had been worried when it had happened.

"I finished the move shooting at goal, because I thought it was going to be the last time I touched a ball in a long time," said Messi.

"When I went off on the stretcher, I feared the worst because of the pain. I thought I was going to be out of action for a long time. Now I feel OK, fortunately it was just a knock," he added.

Messi trained in the gym on Thursday and could play against Betis at the weekend, as he seeks to beat Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals in a year, at the moment he has 84.

"I am not certain if I will be there on Sunday, it depends on how it evolves," he said, unworried that his absence would be a problem to a side that has won 13 out of 14 games so far this season.

"The team will be the same with or without me. We have a lot of players," said Messi, who said Muller's record was not an obsession⁶, although he admitted, "it would be nice to break it, as it has been there for such a long time."

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 clutching   

抓住，紧紧抓住( clutch的现在分词 )； （因害怕或痛苦）突然抓住

参考例句：

• He was clutching the magazine lovingly with both hands. 他紧紧地捏着杂志，好像害怕琴会把它抢去似的。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Children clutching empty bowls form a line. 紧紧抓着空碗的孩子们排成一队。

3 collided   

v.相撞( collide的过去式和过去分词 )；碰撞；冲突；抵触

参考例句：

• The car and the van collided head-on in thick fog. 那辆小轿车和货车在浓雾中迎面相撞。
• The car collided with a stationary vehicle. 小汽车撞到一辆停着的车上。

4 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

5 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

6 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。