Lionel Messi led out his Argentina side for possibly the last time on home soil accompanied by his three sons in what was clearly an emotional moment for the iconic No.10.
Franco Mastantuano’s first start – back at the Estadio Monumental where he made his name – was a notable change in the starting line-up by Lionel Scaloni, whose side were almost stunned in the first 15 seconds as Venezuela’s inventive kick-off routine caused problems.
A swift move from the hosts soon after saw Julian Alvarez’s stinging shot parried by Rafael Romo, and from the subsequent corner, only the offside flag denied Cristian Romero the opener.
Venezuela’s attacking forays were sporadic though Salomón Rondón consistently made a nuisance of himself up against Romero and Nicolas Otamendi, the latter also likely making his final appearance in Argentina.
More noticeable was the hosts intensity both in and out of possession given that they’d long since qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Messi’s first shot on target just before the half hour also livened up the home support.
As HT approached, a quick break from Alvarez saw him square the ball to his captain who made no mistake with a deft chip – his 113th goal for his country – despite the attentions of three defenders and goalkeeper, Romo, and Thiago Almada’s curling effort in first-half injury-time again brought the best out of the custodian.
The pattern continued after the break with Argentina consistently on the front foot, Alvarez again heavily involved. A five-man defence subsequently employed by Fernando Batista told its own story, though Jefferson Savarino did manage to get a shot away as the game approached the hour mark.
Messi’s shot on target almost brought a second and his exquisite pass shortly afterwards didn’t get the finish it deserved from substitute Nico Gonzalez as Romo made his sixth save of the game.
With 20 to play Venezuela began to get a foothold in the game which prompted Scaloni to bring on Lautaro Martinez and Exequiel Palacios, and the former quickly justified that decision with his first touch bringing a second goal for Argentina.
That ensured a sustained period of pressure from the hosts and as Venezuela tired, Messi helped himself to another goal with a slide rule finish from Almada’s pinpoint pull back. As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, Messi looked to have scored a sensational hat-trick goal, only to be denied by the offside flag.
The victory means that La Albiceleste have now won 25 of their 30 fixtures against La Vinotinto, with three matches being drawn and only two games won by Venezuela.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
View all of the match stats on Flashscore.
