Even with experiments, Argentina stay focused in win over Angola | OneFootball

With a goal and an assist from star Lionel Messi, the Argentine national team defeated Angola 2-0 in an international friendly held this Friday (14) in Luanda. The match served for the world champions to conduct some tests.

Messi provided the pass for Lautaro Martínez to open the scoring for the ‘Albiceleste’ at the end of the first half (44′), and the roles were reversed at 82 minutes into the game, with Lautaro assisting and Messi sending it to the back of the net.

Lautaro finished with a cross shot, and the ball touched the feet of the 39-year-old goalkeeper Hugo Marques before going in. Messi secured the victory with a strong left-footed shot into the corner.

The goal scorers of this Friday were substituted at the end of the second half by the world champion coach, Lionel Scaloni.

The result was expected, as Argentina holds the second position in the FIFA ranking, behind Spain and 87 positions ahead of Angola.

Scaloni took advantage of the match to test new players, giving opportunities to the ‘Albiceleste’ to Kevin Mac Allister (Union Saint-Gilloise), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Joaquín Panichelli (Strasbourg), and Máximo Perrone (Como).

It was Argentina's last game of the year, as the team secured its spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.