ROME: Lionel Messi will headline a star-studded lineup for a ‘match for peace’ in tribute to fellow Argentina soccer great Diego Maradona on November 14 in Rome, organisers announced on Monday.
In addition to Messi, former Brazilian star Ronaldinho, Italian World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon and Roma’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho confirmed their presence in a video published by the WEPLAYFORPEACE platform for the third edition of the “match for peace” organised by a Foundation created by Pope Francis.
The video was uploaded on October 10, to signify 10/10, in tribute to the number 10 jersey worn by Maradona during his career. His nickname was ‘el ultimo Diez’ (the last 10).
Former World Cup winner Maradona died aged 60 of heart failure in November 2020.
The match will take place on November 14 at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, less than a week before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
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PAMPLONA: Lionel Messi scored five goals as Argentina completely thrashed out European opponents Estonia with an unbeaten 5-0 in an international friendly match, here on Sunday.
The inspirational feat by the Argentinian captain, who has scored 86 goals in 162 international appearances, enabled his country to remain undefeated in 33 international games after an easy win over Estonia.
Messi completely dominated the opponents as he scored two goals in the first half with an opening goal in the 8th minute and the second one in the last minute before halftime.
The 34-year-old Messi waited for the break to complete his hat-trick two minutes after the game resumed in the second half. Messi continued with his exceptional form and made two more strikes in the 71st and 76th minutes.
Last week Argentina defeated Italy 3-0 in the first Finalissima encounter between the South American and European champions, with Messi contributing two assists. He helped Argentina win the Copa America last year, which was his first major achievement for the national team.
The international friendlies are part of Argentina’s preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which will be held in November. Argentina are in Group C along with Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Poland.
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LONDON: Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria starred as the South American champion defeated the reigning Europe champion Italy by 3-0 at Wembley Stadium on Monday.
In a match dubbed the ‘Finalissima’ between the reigning champs of South America and Europe, Argentina displayed complete dominance over struggling Italy.
Lautaro Martinez scored the opener for Argentina in the 28th minute following a brilliant assist from his captain Messi. Martinez then switched the role with Messi as he served Angel Di Maria, who dodged Italy’s goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma to score the second goal for his side just before the half-time.
Argentina, which dominated the first half of the fame, appeared more lethal in the second as Messi and Di Maria displayed sheer brilliance as they continued to create chance after chance.
Donnarumma, on the other hand, initially did well to thwart the repeated chances, but eventually fell short as he could not stop Paulo Dybala, who slotted home the ball in the 94th minute following a Messi assist which left him with the ball at his feet in the Italian box.
Dybala’s strike took Argentina’s tally to three, while Italy remained unable to net the ball despite the extra time.
It is pertinent to mention here that the four-time world champions Italy will not be participating in the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as they tripped in the playoffs of the qualifiers despite being the reigning Euro 2021 champion.
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