Captain Lionel Messi led Argentina to a 5-0 victory over Zambia on Tuesday night at La Bombonera in an emotional farewell match in front of their fans before they depart to defend their title at the 2026 World Cup.
Messi earned his first start of the March international window in what is expected to be his final match for Argentina on home soil.
After appearing as a halftime substitute against Mauritania last Friday, the Inter Miami star assisted Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez in the fourth minute to give Argentina an early lead.
Messi doubled the advantage just before halftime, recording his 116th international goal and the 902nd of his career.
In the second half, La Albiceleste was awarded a penalty. Messi handed the ball to veteran defender Nicolás Otamendi, allowing him a scoring opportunity in his final home game after announcing his retirement from the national team following the World Cup.
“There is no greater satisfaction than wearing the national team jersey. I am very happy to have had this send-off at home,” Otamendi said after the game.
“It has been a long journey, one filled with many joys and some sorrows, for that is the nature of football. I leave with the feeling that I gave my all for the national team, always ready and willing to defend this jersey,” he added.
An own goal by Zambia in the 68th minute and another one scored by Valentín Barco propelled Argentina to the 5-0 victory.
“We were eager to play in the Finalissima, but it was important nonetheless to come together these past few days,” Tottenham defender Cristian Romero said.
Argentina raised some concern after their lackluster performance last Friday in a 2-1 victory over Mauritania.
In the lead-up to the Zambia friendly, coach Lionel Scaloni had warned that if the team didn’t improve its performance, he would take drastic measures regarding the 26-man World Cup squad, which must be submitted by May 30.
“The important thing is that what happened the other day doesn’t happen again. I think today it was shown that it was an accident and the team working together managed to play well,” Scaloni said after the 5-0 win.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
