Playing in the D.C. area for the first time since 2017, the Argentine star scored twice in a 4-1 win over Guatemala at Commanders Field.
Lionel Messi scored twice to help Argentina, the defending World Cup champion, to a 4-1 win over Guatemala at Commanders Field on Friday night. Hours before the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner scored twice in Argentina’s 4-1 friendly win against Guatemala on Friday night, the No. 10 Messi jerseys circling Commanders Field were legion.
Asked at a Thursday news conference what he wanted to see out of Messi in Argentina’s final Copa América tuneup, Scaloni said, through an interpreter: “The same as always — to play soccer, to play well, to be a good teammate.” It was the first of many highlights. Messi rang the inside of the post with a low, driven free kick late in the first half. In the 66th minute, he slipped behind the back line to connect with Enzo Fernández’s clipped through ball and set up Lautaro Martínez’s second goal of the game. Four minutes later, Messi barreled in on net and was denied by Hagen’s left foot. And he finally scored his second in the 77th, capping a give-and-go with Di María with a silky chip.
“Leo Messi is the one who takes our penalty kicks,” Scaloni said. “I don’t know exactly what happened on the field, if he asked and decided to give it to him. It shows how kind Messi can be.”
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