Friendly: Argentina brush aside Iceland, Messi makes the difference off the bench ahead of the World Cup
Argentina arrive at the World Cup full of confidence. On Tuesday night in Auburn, the Albiceleste beat Iceland 3-0 without really getting out of second gear, with a heavily rotated side in front of a packed crowd firmly on their side. Valentin Barco, soon to be a former Strasbourg player, got the party started in the 8th minute with a crisp finish, his second goal for the national team. Geronimo Rulli barely had a thing to do in goal. A quiet night, just what they needed to fine-tune the final details before their opener against Algeria on 17 June in Kansas City.
After the break, Lionel Scaloni introduced several of his regular starters: Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez. Lautaro Martinez was the liveliest of the lot, winning the penalty for the 2-0, which Lionel Messi tucked away after coming on a few minutes earlier. The captain, who has been carrying a left thigh issue for several weeks, played around 20 minutes without ever looking troubled. A reassuring sign for a whole country.
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Messi is up to 117 goals and 199 caps, Algeria have been warned
Two minutes after coming on, Messi had already scored. The Argentina captain netted his 117th international goal in his 199th cap, before playing a part in Thiago Almada’s late third in the 86th minute. It was the perfect cameo, easing concerns around him and giving the coach more reason to believe he’ll be ready for the tournament. Short on minutes, not on impact, Messi still looks like the most feared player on the planet, even at 80% of his best.
The champions of the world now head to Kansas City, where they open their group stage campaign against Algeria on 17 June. Argentina go into the tournament with the stars aligning: a squad close to full strength, an attack in good nick and Messi, who even from the bench, can still turn a game on its head.
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