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

In the dying moments of a fiercely contested first half, Argentina took a 1-0 lead against Angola thanks to a goal by forward Lautaro Martínez, who was assisted by Lionel Messi. With this goal, Martínez reached 36 celebrations with the Albiceleste and took the fourth spot on the goal-scoring chart from Hernán Crespo.

The team led by Lionel Scaloni finished the first half against the African side with only two shots on goal. 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 chapter.

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

On the other hand, 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 goal passes.

Finally, the star from Rosario scored the second goal at the 81-minute mark, 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.