The Argentine National Team put a finishing touch to their world champion celebrations with a show of goals and a resounding 7-0 win against their counterpart from Curaçao with a hat-trick by Lionel Messi that surpassed the 100-goal mark, specifically 102. with the albiceleste jacket. In addition to the goals from their captain, Nicolás González, Enzo Fernández, Ángel Di María, from a penalty, and Gonzalo Montiel completed the rout in a match played at the Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero.
Argentina, in this way, premiered its third star on its shield as world champion with a double victory on this FIFA date: last Thursday 2-0 against Panama in Buenos Aires and this 7-0 against Curaçao in Santiago del Estero. The brand new number one in the FIFA classification as of April 1 had a performance where he was able to make a difference in level with his Caribbean rival.
Argentina had a bewildering first 20 minutes where the visiting team moved the ball and kept the home team dizzy. However, during this time Lautaro Martínez had two key options to open the scoring, another from Lionel Messi and one from Nicolás González who demanded Eloy Room.
In the 20th minute the first big celebration came with a clearance from Giovani Lo Celso to Lionel Messi who hooked and took a right-footed shot to beat Room and mark his hundredth celebration with the Albiceleste jersey. Two minutes later, Anita managed to clear a header from Pezzella in the box, but on the rebound Nicolás González jumped higher than Eloy Room and connected the ball into the net.
With this advantage on the scoreboard in five minutes came a flurry of goals from the Albiceleste: in the 32nd minute a combination of Nicolás González with Messi ended with a definition by the captain, two minutes later Messi enabled Enzo Fernández who from the edge of the area It increased and in minute 37 a run by Messi ended in another great definition of the top referent of the squad.
In the complement there were many changes in both teams and Argentina was slow to increase because only in minute 78, Ángel Di María from a penalty put the sixth and the finishing touch came in minute 86 after a combination of Di María with Dybala and a cross behind for the definition of Gonzalo Montiel, the author of the last penalty in the coronation in Qatar 2022. Then there was a party finale in the farewell of this team to its audience at the Madre de Ciudades stadium in little more than a week at pure albiceleste emotion.
Argentina: Emiliano Martinez (m.79, Franco Armani); Gonzalo Montiel, Germain Pezzella, Nicholas Otamendi (m.48, John Foyth), Mark Coin; Giovani Lo Celso (m.66, Angel Di Maria), Enzo Fernandez (m.48, Exequiel Palaces), Alexis Mac Allister (m.48, Rodrigo De Paul); Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez (m.66, Paulo Dybala), Nicolas Gonzalez.
Coach: Lionel Scaloni.
0. Curaçao: Eloy Room; Jurien Gaeari, Rhu Endly Martina, Roshon Van Eijma, Sherel Floranus; Bradley Kuwas, Vurnon Anita (82nd, Kevin Felida), Leandro Bacuna (82nd, Elson Hooi), Kenji Gorre (57th, Richairo Zivkovic); Juninho Bacuna; Rangelo Janga (m.57, Jeremy Anthony).
Coach: Remko Bicentini.
Goals: 1-0, m.:20 Lionel Messi. 2-0, m.22 Nicolás González. 3-0, m.: 32 Lionel Messi. 4-0, m.: 34 Enzo Fernandez. 5-0, m.: 37 Lionel Messi. 6-0, m.: 78 Ángel Di María, from a penalty. 7-0, m.86. Gonzalo Montiel.
Referee: Uruguayan Gustavo Tejera admonished Rodrigo De Paul and Vurnon Anita.
Incidents: friendly match of FIFA date played at the Madre de Ciudades Stadium in Santiago del Estero.
