Tag: Argentina

Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up another as Argentina thrashed Zambia 5-0 on Tuesday in the South Americans’ final game on home soil before launching the defence of their World Cup crown.

Messi, restored to the starting line-up by coach Lionel Scaloni after Argentina’s lacklustre win over Mauritania last Friday, made an immediate impact in Tuesday’s friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.

The 38-year-old superstar set up the opening goal for Julian Alvarez before bagging his 116th goal for Argentina with an individual strike just before half-time.

Tuesday’s game marked a World Cup send-off for the reigning world champions, who will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J of the finals in June.

Argentina will also play a friendly against Serbia in June, and are seeking to arrange another warm-up fixture before the tournament.

Messi is firmly expected to captain Argentina into what will be a record sixth World Cup finals as the South American giants target back-to-back titles.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Inter Miami playmaker once again demonstrated his enduring influence on the Albiceleste with a typically decisive contribution in a comfortable win.

Alvarez fired Argentina into the lead after just four minutes when Messi effortlessly controlled a lofted pass on the edge of the area and then threaded a pass into the feet of the Atletico Madrid striker to score.

Messi doubled Argentina’s lead with the 902nd goal of his career two minutes before half-time, working a clever one-two with Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister before tucking a low finish past Zambia goalkeeper Willard Mwanza.

Messi could have added to his goals tally just after half-time when Argentina were awarded a penalty following Albert Kangwanda’s foul on Thiago Almada.

But rather than take the spot kick himself, Messi handed the ball to veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi, and the 38-year-old made no mistake from the spot for a 3-0 lead.

An own goal from Dominic Chanda in the 68th minute put Argentina 4-0 up, before rising star Valentin Barco completed the scoring in stoppage time to make it 5-0.

READ: Glenn Maxwell axed as Cricket Australia unveil central contract list

Lionel Messi will start for Argentina in a friendly against Zambia on Tuesday in what is the reigning world champions’ final game on home soil before they defend their FIFA World Cup crown.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Messi, who began on the bench for Friday’s lacklustre 2-1 win over Mauritania, will spearhead what is expected to be a full-strength side against Zambia.

“Messi will be in the starting lineup tomorrow,” Scaloni said.

Messi, 38, has not formally confirmed whether he plans to play in the 2025 World Cup, but he played a full part in Argentina’s qualification campaign for the finals.

Scaloni indicated that he expects Messi to be part of his squad for what would be the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s sixth World Cup appearance.

“The important thing is that he comes and enjoys being at a World Cup — which, theoretically, will be his last,” Scaloni said of Messi. “We want him to enjoy it, because later on, you really miss playing in events like these.”

Scaloni said Messi on Tuesday will be surrounded by the established core of the team, which topped South American qualifying, and that will start the World Cup among the favourites for the title.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Most of the players we know well will be playing. This will be the final test,” Scaloni said.

“Later, we’ll make some changes to take a look at some of the younger guys, but the idea is to field our most familiar lineup,” he said, emphasising that Friday’s scrappy win over Mauritania was not representative of his squad.

“I am convinced that the team’s performance level is not what we saw the other day,” Scaloni said. “If we see that the team isn’t quite there, we’ll look for other options. But they deserve a vote of confidence.”

Scaloni has already submitted a preliminary 55-player list to the Argentina Football Association, with the final 26-man squad to be confirmed at the end of May.

“I have the list pretty well figured out, but if performance levels aren’t up to par, we’ll take measures to ensure we bring the absolute best squad possible; we are striving for something as close to perfection as we can get,” he said.

“The players who have been with us for a while hold a slight advantage simply because we know them well; however, they have to maintain that advantage — and everyone knows what happened the other day (against Mauritania) cannot be repeated.”

READ: PSL 11: Fakhar Zaman handed two-match ban over ball-tampering

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO: Pakistan men’s hockey team continued their difficult debut campaign in the FIH Pro League as they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of Argentina at the Santiago del Estero Hockey Club on Tuesday.

Argentina dominated proceedings from the outset, combining clinical penalty-corner execution with sharp aerial play to register a commanding victory and move to the top of the Pro League standings with 11 points.

Pakistan, meanwhile, slumped to their fourth consecutive loss and remain rooted at the bottom of the table.

Los Leones opened the scoring through Nicolas Della Torre, whose powerful drag flick from a penalty corner took a deflection off Pakistan defender Muhammad Abdullah and wrong-footed goalkeeper Muneeb Ur-Rehman.

Argentina maintained control through midfield and repeatedly exploited space behind Pakistan’s defence with long aerial balls.

One such aerial found Joaquin Toscani, who controlled well before delivering a bouncing ball into the circle for Bautista Capurro to deflect home, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Argentina struck again through Capurro in the second quarter after Maico Casella kept the pressure alive following a failed Pakistani clearance.

Casella found space and slid a pinpoint pass across the goal, allowing Capurro to tap in his second and make it 3-0.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Pakistan showed some resistance early in the third quarter when Waheed Ashraf Rana produced a fine individual effort, driving into the circle and smashing a high shot into the net to briefly cut the deficit.

Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as Argentina responded almost immediately.

Tadeo Marcucci released Tomas Domene with a precise pass, and although Domene’s initial backhand effort was saved, Tobias Martins reacted quickest to slot home the rebound.

Domene then capped an impressive outing by earning and converting a penalty corner with a low drag flick to make it 5-1.

The final quarter remained scoreless, with Argentina comfortably seeing out the contest to claim a convincing three points. Domene was later named Player of the Match for the second consecutive game.

The defeat leaves Pakistan in ninth place, having conceded 20 goals while scoring only eight, resulting in a worrying goal difference of minus 12.

Their campaign began with a 5-2 loss to the defending champions, the Netherlands, followed by a narrow 3-2 defeat to Argentina and a 7-3 loss in a high-scoring rematch against the Dutch.

Pakistan will now turn their attention to the Australia leg of the Pro League in Hobart in February, where they face a stern challenge against the hosts on February 10 and 13, followed by clashes with Germany on February 11 and 14.

READ: Ben Stokes urges England to ‘show a bit of dog’ in must-win Ashes Test

Pakistan produced a spirited performance but still came away empty-handed, slipping to a narrow 3–2 defeat against Argentina in their FIH Pro League fixture at the Santiago del Estero Hockey Club.

In a five-goal contest that swung with momentum throughout, the hosts backed up their shoot-out win over the Netherlands a day earlier by claiming full points against a resurgent Pakistan side.

Pakistan began with impressive intent, pressing aggressively and creating clearer early openings.

Waheed Ashraf Rana forced Tomas Santiago into a sharp save from close range, before narrowly missing the far post on his second attempt.

Argentina, meanwhile, struggled to make their penalty corners count, with Tomas Domene’s backhand only catching the side netting.

The breakthrough eventually came for the hosts in the second quarter.

Thomas Habif’s incisive baseline run opened the play for Ignacio Nardolillo, who squared for Domene to finish from point-blank range, the only goal separating the sides at halftime.

The match came alive after the break, as Pakistan drew level through Muhammad Ammad, who cleverly redirected a Zikriya Hayat pass to make it 1–1.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

But Argentina responded instantly, showcasing their penalty-corner class.

Nicolas della Torre struck low to restore the lead, before Maico Casella added a second in quick succession with a powerful flick into the top of the net following a series of re-awards.

Pakistan replied with pressure of their own, earning three consecutive re-awards before Waleed Rana pounced on a rebound to trim the deficit to 3–2 just before the third-quarter whistle.

Both Pakistan and Argentina created half-chances in the final period, but the home team’s defensive discipline and earlier set-piece precision ensured the scoreline stayed intact.

Thomas Habif’s influential display earned him the Player of the Match award.

The result follows Pakistan’s 5–2 loss to defending champions Netherlands on their Pro League debut at the same venue.

The Green Shirts will meet the Dutch again on December 13, before concluding their opening Pro League stint against Argentina on December 15.

READ: Shadab Khan excited for Babar Azam clash in BBL comeback

Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been banned for two matches by FIFA for “offensive behaviour”, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Aston Villa star was also found guilty of “violating principles of fairplay” in two separate episodes.

Martinez was found to have violated FIFA’s code of conduct when holding a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin after the World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5.

It is not the first time Emiliano Martinez has performed such an action having also done it with the Golden Glove trophy for best goalkeeper after Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

FIFA also sanctioned him for hitting a TV cameraman’s camera with his gloves after their 2-1 defeat by Colombia on September 10.

The AFA expressed their dissatisfaction with the FIFA ruling.

“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” they said in a statement.

As a result of the decision Emiliano Martinez — also a key member of the Argentina side that won the Copa America in July, as well as the 2021 edition — will miss the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.

Argentina are top of the South American qualifying table with 18 points after eight matches. Colombia are just two points behind.

READ: Brook says return to form ‘a matter of time’ as England hammer Australia

Lionel Messi was absent Argentina’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Chile and Colombia through injury, with Paulo Dybala recalled to coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad on Monday.

Messi has not played for club side Inter Miami since suffering an ankle injury in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final.

Roma forward Dybala has not made an international appearance since March 2023 but could get an opportunity to add to his 38 caps in Lionel Messi’s absence.

The reigning world champions will also be without Angel Di Maria after the veteran winger’s international retirement.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Argentina are currently top of South America qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The top six teams in the 10-nation table will qualify automatically for the finals.

Scaloni’s men will host Chile on September 6, before facing Colombia in Barranquilla four days later.

Argentina Squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa/ENG), Juan Musso (Atalanta/ITA), Geronimo Rulli (Marseille/FRA), Walter Benitez (PSV Eindhoven/NED)

Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla/ESP), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille/FRA), Cristian Romero (Tottenham/ENG), German Pezzella (River Plate), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica/POR), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United/ENG), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon/FRA), Valentin Barco (Sevilla/ESP).

READ: Pakistan to face India on THIS date in Women’s T20 World Cup

Chaos and confusion reigned on Wednesday as Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game of the men’s Olympic football tournament.

Argentina were disallowed a late equaliser, while the final minutes were played out in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.

The South American side thought they had escaped from the Group B match in Saint-Etienne with a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time.

But as their players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups rained down from the stands and several spectators entered the pitch, with the referee promptly blowing the whistle.

The teams left the playing area, but the referee had not blown for full-time and the outcome of the match was completely unclear until the sides finally reappeared two hours later to play out three more minutes in a stadium by now emptied of spectators.

Medina’s goal was eventually disallowed for offside following a VAR review, and Morocco held on for all three points.

It was an undignified start to the sporting action at the Paris Games, and a bad day all around for Argentina, whose players were booed as they emerged onto the pitch and during the national anthem by the crowd, most of whom were supporting Morocco.

That welcome came after Argentina players were filmed singing racist chants following their victory in the recent Copa America.

“It is a circus,” complained Argentina coach Javier Mascherano. “At no point did they tell us our goal was not valid… this would not even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It’s pathetic.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Beyond the Olympic spirit, the organisation needs to be up to standard. At the moment it is not, unfortunately.”

Argentina are looking to win men’s football gold for the third time after success in 2004 and 2008, but Mascherano’s side trailed 2-0 following a brace by Soufiane Rahimi.

Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) full-back, set up Rahimi for the opener in first-half stoppage time.

The reigning African Under-23 champions doubled their lead six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot, Rahimi converting after Ilias Akhomach was brought down.

Mascherano, who starred in the teams that won gold in Athens and Beijing, had at one point hoped to persuade Lionel Messi to feature among the three permitted overage players in his squad otherwise limited to those under 23.

Messi turned him down, and the biggest names in their side here were Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez and captain Nicolas Otamendi, the Benfica defender.

Giuliano Simeone, son of former Argentina star Diego, came off the bench to pull one back midway through the second half.

Medina then thought he had saved a point in the 106th minute as he nodded in after Otamendi and Bruno Amione both hit the woodwork in a frantic few seconds of action, only for Argentina to be denied.

Argentina’s next game will be in Lyon on Saturday against Iraq, who came from behind to beat Ukraine 2-1 in their opener.

READ: Shoaib Malik backs THIS batter as Pakistan’s next white-ball captain

Lautaro Martinez scored an extra-time winner as Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 to win a record 16th Copa America title at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

A poor game which had been marred by security and crowd issues, forcing an 82-minute delay, was decided by a quality finish from Martinez — his fifth goal of the tournament.

The win was the third straight major tournament title for Argentina following their 2021 Copa America victory and their triumph in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

There were tears before the celebrations though with Argentina captain Lionel Messi going off injured in the 66th minute watching the rest of the game distraught on the bench, while there was an emotional farewell for Angel Di Maria in his final game for the national team.

For Colombia, whose only title came in the 2001 Copa America, it was a disappointing night when little seemed to work for Nestor Lorenzo’s team.

Colombia’s Jhon Corboba hit the bottom of the post with a speculative shot in the seventh minute but neither side were able to find their flow in the early stages.

Di Maria found Messi in the 20th minute with a low ball into the box and Messi’s left-foot shot was saved by Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas.

Colombia had looked the more lively in the opening period and they went close in the 33rd minute when Jefferson Lerma tried his luck from 25 yards out and his low drive forced Emiliano Martinez into a diving save.

There was concern for Messi in the 36th minute when he dribbled to the byline but was halted by a sliding challenge from Santiago Arias which was ruled fair left the Argentine captain needing treatment.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Messi, who now plays his club football in Miami, then curled a free-kick in from the left flank but Nicolas Tagliafico’s header was just off target.

It had been a disappointing first half and it didn’t improve much after the break, when the fans had at least received some entertainment from Colombian singer Shakira.

Argentina failed to deal with a James Rodriguez corner and the ball looped to Davinson Sanchez but he was unable to keep down his header which floated over the bar.

There was finally some of the expected quality when Di Maria produced one of his trademark runs in from the left and forced Vargas into action, the Colombia keeper turning the ball wide of the post.

Then came a major blow for Argentine hopes when Messi went down, without contact, as he ran in midfield, and clearly in pain he went off to be replaced by Nicolas Gonzalez in the 66th minute.

It was too much for Messi, in what may have been his last major tournament, as he sat in tears on the bench, unable to hold back his emotions.

The Argentine fans thought they had grabbed a winner in the 75th minute when Tagliafico found Gonzalez in the box, who beat Vargas with a low drive but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Little changed in extra-time with a half-chance from Miguel Borja after a flick from Jorge Carrascal but the game was settled by a worthy winner.

Leandro Paredes won the ball in midfield for Argentina with a perfectly timed tackle, found Giovani Lo Celso whose first time pass was perfect for the on-running Martinez who confidently fired home the winner.

READ: Pakistan Shaheens’ white-ball captain announced for Darwin tour

Lionel Messi was on target as world champions Argentina turned on the style to beat Canada 2-0 on Tuesday and reach the Copa America final where they will look for a third straight major title.

The defending Copa champions will face the winners of Wednesday’s semi-final between Uruguay and Colombia in what will be a highly anticipated final in Miami on Sunday.

The 15-times Copa champions produced their best display of the tournament in front of a capacity crowd at the 82,500 MetLife Stadium and as in their 2022 World Cup triumph they look to be peaking at the perfect moment.

“The truth is that it’s crazy what this group has done, what the Argentina national team has been doing,” Messi told TyC Sports after his first goal of the tournament.

“It’s not easy for us to be in a final again, for us to compete again to be champions. I’m living it like I lived it in the last Copa America, in the last World Cup…These are the last battles and I’m enjoying them to the maximum,” said the 37-year-old.

Canada, who surprised many by reaching the last four in their first Copa America appearance, can take great credit for their run in the tournament but Messi and company were simply a step too far.

“I think the tournament caught up with us a little bit,” said Canada’s American coach Marsch, who said he noticed that his players looked tired midway through the first half.

“Eventually the physicality and fatigue can catch up with you and that was a big part of what happened with us tonight,” he added.

Marsch’s side had progressed by hitting teams with high-energy football straight out of the gate but after an early opening for left-winger Jacob Shaffelburg, who fired wide after cutting in from the flank, the South Americans took control and never gave it up.

Angel Di Maria, the veteran wide-man playing in his final tournament for his country, was seeing plenty of the ball down the right and he offered an early warning of his threat when he picked out Messi with a ball inside which the forward flashed just wide of the post.

But it was Rodrigo De Paul who was to create the breakthrough in the 22nd minute, picking the ball up on the halfway line, taking a quick glance up and then lofting the ball over the top to Julian Alvarez.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Manchester City forward recalled to the starting line-up ahead of Lautaro Martinez, delivered a deft first touch that took him away from Moises Bombito and gave him just enough room to drive the ball home.

The classy triangle of Di Maria, Messi and De Paul, was a constant source of danger for Canada’s back line and the former threatened a second with a chip from the right which floated over the bar.

The assuredness of Argentina’s build-up play reflects the confidence of coach Lionel Scaloni’s team, a well-drilled unit but one that never allows their organisational solidity to dominate over their creativity.

Two minutes before the break, former Real Madrid winger Di Maria provided a slide-rule pass to Messi, who worked himself space for a shot on his right foot, but he was narrowly wide of Max Crepeau’s right-hand post.

Canada’s American coach Marsch had plenty of work to do at the interval if he was to find a way of getting his team back on level terms and any strategy went out of the window when the world champions doubled their lead, just six minutes after the restart.

The excellent De Paul pulled the ball back from the byline to Enzo Fernandez and his side-foot shot was directed home by Messi in front of goal.

For a moment Canada had hope that Messi may have been offside but the VAR review showed that defender Derek Cornelius had played him onside.

With the two-goal cushion established, Argentina were content to sit back and preserve their energy and invite the Canadians to take them on.

It was not until the final minutes though that Canada were able to trouble Emiliano Martinez with substitute Tani Oluwaseyi forcing the keeper into action after some sloppy defending.

But it was a comfortable victory for Scaloni’s men and one which leaves them one win away from a record 16th Copa America triumph.

READ: Wahab Riaz breaks silence after his removal as selector, manager

Argentina captain Lionel Messi is doubtful for the upcoming Copa America quarter-final clash against Ecuador with coach Lionel Scaloni saying he will wait before deciding on his team.

Messi missed Argentina’s final group stage match on Saturday, a 2-0 win over Peru, after complaining of a sore right hamstring.

Argentina will hold a training session later on Wednesday and Scaloni said he would make any decision afterwards.

“We’ll wait a couple of hours and make the decision. It is always better to have one more day,” he told a press conference.

“Yesterday we had good feelings and we’ll take this day to define the team based on the response we get today,” he added.

Scaloni said he would consult with the 37-year-old Messi about his readiness for the game.

“We’ll try to get him in and then, if he’s not (ready), we’ll look for the best solution for the team. I’ll talk to him today. I think it’s fair that he takes his time and trains as much as possible,” he said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Scaloni made nine changes against Peru as he took the chance to rotate his squad with qualification to the knockout stage already secured.

Should Lionel Messi not be ready to start against Ecuador, Scaloni could start with both Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez as twin strikers in attack.

Lautaro is the top scorer in the Copa America so far with four goals from three games, including a double against Peru while Alvarez found the target in the opening game against Canada.

“They have already played together against this rival. We will make the decision after today’s training session. We are not ruling anything out because they have worked well and it is an option, it could be,” said Scaloni.

“Lautaro is doing very well, in a good moment, the same as Julian. Lautaro has not only done well, but he has waited for his chance and that makes me very happy. They both scored goals, let’s hope that streak continues tomorrow. We are satisfied with their contributions,” he said.

Ecuador coach Felix Sanchez said he doesn’t expect a radical change of approach from Argentina — with or without Messi.

“We know we are playing a high level team, Lionel Messi is the player that makes the difference and we have played against them with him and without him on the field,” he said.

“Their gameplan doesn’t change much – they are a group who have been with their head coach for a long time, they know their gameplan and we have had to be ready either way,” added the Spaniard.

READ: T20 World Cup champions India get heroes welcome upon returning home