Argentina delivered a commanding performance in their final World Cup warm-up match. The reigning world champions thrashed African side Zambia with a resounding 5-0 victory at La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires. Throughout the match, Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez, and their teammates celebrated a goal fest, showcasing their dominance.
Despite winning against Mauritania in the previous match, coach Lionel Scaloni was not satisfied with the team’s performance. Consequently, he made several changes to the starting lineup for this game, reorganizing the squad. Messi played from start to finish. Towards the end, a change was made in goal, with Juan Musso getting an opportunity in place of Emiliano Martínez.
Argentina took an early lead with an aggressive start to the match. In the fourth minute, Julián Álvarez scored with an assist from Messi, following a pass from Leandro Paredes. Just before the end of the first half, Messi also put his name on the scoresheet. The captain scored with a low shot, displaying excellent understanding with Alexis Mac Allister.
Argentina maintained their attacking momentum in the second half. In the 50th minute, Messi, instead of taking a penalty himself, offered the opportunity to teammate Nicolás Otamendi, who successfully converted it. Subsequently, under pressure, Zambia’s Dominic Chanda unfortunately scored an own goal.
In injury time, young Valentín Barco further extended the lead, scoring his first goal for the national team.
Throughout the match, Argentina maintained 76% possession, taking 9 shots, 5 of which were on target. In contrast, Zambia managed only 3 shots, with one on target.
Overall, Argentina left the field with immense confidence following a spectacular victory in their final home match before the World Cup.