Argentina Crush Zambia in Messi's Final Home Match
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| Messi and Scaloni lead Argentina to dominant win over Zambia |
Argentina defeats Zambia 5-0 in friendly match, with Lionel Messi making significant impact in possible final home game.
Argentina's impressive 5-0 win over Zambia showcases team's strength ahead of upcoming tournaments...
Argentina crushed Zambia 5-0 in a friendly match at home, with Lionel Messi making a significant impact, registering his eighth assist in nine internationals. The win extends Argentina's impressive record, having won eight of their last 10 games against African opposition.
The match had an emotional tone, as it's believed to be Messi's last international game on home soil, making his contribution even more memorable.
Just three minutes in, he played a pass to the feet of Julian Alvarez, who fired into the bottom-left corner past a helpless Willard Mwanza, putting them on an early course to make it five straight wins.
Alvarez might then have turned provider seven minutes later, but his attempted ball at the end of a smart move ended up being intercepted.
Zambia, predictably, couldn't respond, having conceded three or more times - and lost - in every prior game against a non-African side this decade. They offered virtually nothing, allowing Argentina to cruise.
Argentina wasn't even pushing hard, yet Messi still managed to double their lead a minute before halftime. Alexis Mac Allister played a fantastic through ball to him, and the iconic forward fired into the bottom-right corner at close range.
Any fanciful hopes Zambia might have had in terms of snatching a result were finally snuffed out for good just five minutes into the second half.
Having seen an earlier shot fly wildly over the bar, Albert Kangwanda brought down Thiago Almada with a clumsy challenge inside the box, but rather than take the penalty as expected, Messi handed the ball to vice captain Nicolás Otamendi - a potential passing of the torch moment - and the Benfica man effortlessly fired his spot kick down the middle after a calm and steady run up.
With an 11th win in 13 matches now all but assured - alongside an extension of Zambia’s 100% losing record against South American opponents to a fifth game - the Argentine showboating duly resumed.
The gulf widened further on 68’, though there was little that could be done about Argentina’s fourth.
Clever interplay between Valentin Barco and Almada saw the latter burst into the box and attempt a cross into the mix, only for the ball to deflect into the net off Dominic Chanda’s head, as he attempted to intercept.
It was ultimately men against boys, and a mere workout for the defending world champions, who added a fifth deep into stoppage time via Barco.
With this result, they racked up a 26th clean sheet in 31 victories since they lifted the World Cup in December 2022. Meanwhile, Zambia’s improbable moment of glory against a South American giant will have to wait - they’ve now conceded at least twice in their last five friendlies.
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