Messi comes off bench, scores in Argentina's final World Cup warm-up
Al Jazeera Staff
Argentina cruised to a 3-0 win over Iceland in their final World Cup warm-up. Lionel Messi came off the bench in the second half and scored a penalty to double the lead.
Lionel Messi came off the bench and converted a penalty, helping Argentina complete their World Cup preparations with a 3-0 victory over Iceland in Auburn, Alabama.
Messi entered the match in the 70th minute and immediately won a penalty with his first touch before slotting it home to double Argentina's lead on Tuesday night. Valentin Barco and Thiago Almada also scored for the South Americans in their final game before the tournament.
At age 38, Messi missed Argentina's first friendly against Honduras on Saturday as he continued recovering from a left hamstring injury that forced him off early in Inter Miami's final match before the World Cup break on May 24.
Messi created the penalty with a through ball that split the defense for Lautaro Martinez, who was fouled by Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson. Messi then calmly converted from the spot, taking his international tally to 117 goals.
With his World Cup spot all but certain, Messi is set to make his sixth appearance at the tournament, tying a record held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi, along with Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, started on the bench as coach Lionel Scaloni fielded an experimental lineup in front of 88,000 fans.
Iceland nearly took an early lead when Mikael Egill Ellertsson fired over the bar from close range. Instead, the three-time world champions struck first. After a scramble in the box, the ball fell to Strasbourg defender Valentin Barco, who slotted into the bottom corner.
Nico Paz failed to seize his chance to shine in Messi's absence, missing a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 before halftime when his shot was saved by the Iceland goalkeeper. Fernandez and Mac Allister were among five changes Argentina made at the start of the second half.
Lautaro Martinez, who also entered at halftime, hit the post twice before Messi's late introduction. Messi then played a role in the third goal, passing to Rodrigo De Paul, who set up Almada for a close-range finish.
