Messi assists, Lautaro overtakes Crespo in all-time top scorers’ list | OneFootball

In the dying moments of a fiercely contested first half, Argentina took the lead 1-0 against Angola thanks to a goal by forward Lautaro Martínez, who was assisted by Lionel Messi. This goal marked Martínez's 36th celebration with the Albiceleste, surpassing Hernán Crespo to take fourth place on the goal-scoring chart.

The team led by Lionel Scaloni finished the first half against the African side with only two shots on target. However, after a good save by goalkeeper Hugo Marques from a Lionel Messi shot, they managed to take the lead before the end of the first half.

At the 43rd minute, Giovani Lo Celso connected with Messi, who received the ball three-quarters up the opponent's field, on the right side, and set up Martínez's run. The Bull sprinted into the heart of the area, shot powerfully without controlling the ball to the near post, and scored his 36th goal with the sky-blue and white, surpassing Crespo on the goal-scoring chart.

On another note, Messi reached 401 assists in his career (61 with the national team) and extended his lead at the top of this record, with Brazilian Pelé in second place with 370 assists.

Finally, the Rosario star scored the second goal at the 81st minute, sealing the 2-0 final score. Thus, the Argentine National Team played its last match of the year and will not have new appearances until 2026.

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