ARG vs ZAM Highlights: Messi scores and assists as Argentina thrashes Zambia in friendly

Lionel Scaloni should be satisfied with how his team will head into FIFA World Cup 2026 after its positive showing against Zambia.

Argentina controlled the game from the first kick, and apart from a couple of lazy clearances and mispasses, it was a strong performance led by Messi. Despite having a two-goal lead, Scaloni made no changes after the break, and the lead was extended after just five minutes when Nicolas Otamendi converted from the spot.

With a healthy lead established, Scaloni turned to his bench, making eight changes over the course of the second half, but chose to keep Messi on for the whole time as he continued dictating play.

An own goal from Dominic Chanda made it four, while substitute Valentin Barco netted the fifth with the last kick of the game. Zambia came closest when Kingstone Mutandwa shot from the edge of the box, but was denied by some elite piece of goalkeeping from Emiliano Martinez.

In the end, for Argentina, it was a recovery from the performance against Mauritania, and it will back itself to challenge for back-to-back titles when the premier tournament kicks off in June.

And that is it! There is no more action as the referee blows the whistle for full-time.

ARGENTINA 5-0 ZAMBIA

Barco scores!!

The game restarts with a drop ball, and Messi plays a ball over the top to Nico Gonzalez, who made a run to the box. The substitute brings it down and lays it off to Barco, who finishes first time with his left.

Play is paused as Zambia’s Simukonda goes down with an injury. He is receiving treatment on the pitch and looks like he will not be able to continue.

Three minutes of added time to play in the match.

Zambia’s Tembo is shown the first yellow card of the match for a late challenge on Barco.

Zambia: W. Chisala and Mwimanzi are replaced by Mulanbia and Chiboni

A corner is played short on the right by Argentina, and the ball comes to De Paul outside the box. He tries to chip it over the Zambian defence towards Messi, but the pass is heavy, and the opposition keeper collects the ball easily.

Argentina is in cruise control at the moment as the Zambian players scamper across the pitch in hopes of winning the ball.

Paz gets the ball on the right side of the box and finds Messi on the edge. He fakes a shot and slides the ball through to De Paul, whose shot is blocked in front of the goal, owing to some brave defending.

Argentina: Emi Martinez, Almada and Enzo Fernandez are replaced by Juan Musso, Perrone, and Nico Paz

Argentina: Otamendi and Alvarez are replaced by Quarta and Simeone.

OWN GOAL!

Argentina’s constant pressure pays off once again as Almada gets into the right side of the box after being set up by Barco.

He tries to square the ball instead of taking a shot, but Zambia defender Chanda sticks out a leg, which forces the ball to take a deflection and catch the goalkeeper off guard at the near post.

At the other end, Alvarez carries the ball on the left wing before cutting it back to Fernandez on the edge of the box. He hits it first time and forces a lovely save out of the Zambian goalkeeper, Mwanza.

Careless once again from Argentina as the ball is given away. A dangerous-looking cross is played into the box for Zambia, but Romero does well to rise the highest and head it away from danger.

Zambia: Mutandwa, Kalusa and Sakala are replaced by Tembo, Daka and Zimba.

Zambia is trying to get something from the match and looking for any opportunity to trouble the Argentine defence.

The chance arrives after substitute Gonzalez gives away the ball in his own half, and it falls to Mutandwa, who shoots from the edge of the box.

Emi Martinez, who has had a quiet game so far, reacts quickly and gets down to his right to make a superb save and maintain his clean sheet.

Argentina: Mac Allister, Tagliafico and Paredes are replaced by Rodrigo De Paul, Nico Gonzalez and Valentin Barco

And look at this. Messi is calling Otamendi to come and take the penalty.

The defender stands over the ball and scores!! He sends the keeper the wrong way and rolls it into the left side of the goal for his side’s third of the night.

We’re back to just how it was in the first period as Argentina dominates possession.

A long ball is played to Almada in space on the left wing, and he drives into the box. However, Kangwanda comes in and ends up tripping Almada before he can put in a cross, and the referee wastes no time pointing to the spot.

Will it be Messi who takes the penalty?

Argentina kicks off the second half, shooting from left to right.

No changes for either side at the break.

It was pretty much domination from the world champion, with the usual suspect, Lionel Messi, at the heart of both goals.

After an underwhelming display against Mauritania, Lionel Scaloni’s men were quick off the blocks with Messi setting up Alvarez in just four minutes. The Albiceleste maintained its control on the game throughout, with fullbacks Tagliafico and Molina often chipping in with runs down the wings. However, credit goes to Zambia, which did well to not lose focus after conceding early, largely keeping the home side at bay.

But, you can keep Messi quiet only for so long, with the 38-year-old putting in the hard yards in the closing stages of the half, getting on the ball and linking up with Mac Allister to set himself up for a sight at goal.

With a 2-0 lead, it remains to be seen if he will come back out for the second half or if Scaloni will choose to rest him and give someone else an opportunity.

And that is the last major action of the match as the referee blows his whistle for the break.

MESSI SCORES! IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!

Argentina has been prowling near the Zambia penalty box, and Alvarez does well to keep the ball in play on the left side of the pitch. He finds Messi on the edge of the penalty area, and the Argentine captain twists away from his man and sets himself up for a shot after playing a one-touch move with Mac Allister.

He lashes his left foot at the ball from a tight angle and beats the keeper with ease to double Argentina’s lead.

A goal and assist in the first 45 for Messi!

A miscommunication between Messi and Almada helps Zambia win the ball and go on a break. However, a bit more composure was required from Sinkala as he blazes the ball over the bar while attempting a shot.

Props have to be given to Zambia as well. It has held its line well to stop Argentina from making inroads after the first goal.

Paredes tries to break the line with a ball over the top to Molina, who brings it down inside the box. However, the flag goes up immediately for offside.

After a brisk start, Argentina seems to have lost the spark despite having the lion’s share of possession. The frustration seems to be building as Messi goes for the goal from inside his own half. The ball ends up going well over the frame of the goal in the end.

Thiago Almada has been one of Argentina’s liveliest players on the night, with a chunk of the attack coming from the left wing.

Remember, despite it being a friendly, the match remains an opportunity for players to impress the manager as he prepares to put out a final squad for the World Cup in the summer.

Mac Allister gives away the ball cheaply in the middle of the pitch, but Paredes comes to the rescue with a well-timed challenge before Zambia can do anything fruitful with the ball.

Zambia is enjoying its longest spell of possession at the moment. But, the ball largely stays in its own half with the Argentine players not opening up any space for the ball to be played into.

Messi gets the ball outside the box, and he cuts to his left to set himself up for a trademark shot. However, he goes down claiming a challenge by Kalusa.

But the referee has a good look and says no free kick, much to the frustration of the Argentine captain, who would have liked to try his luck from a good shooting position.

Paredes tries to play Messi through into the box. However, his pass is heavy, and the ball ends up with Zambia despite Messi’s best attempts to reach it with a stretched leg.

It’s all Argentina at the moment, with Messi at the heart of all the action. The 38-year-old keeps looking for options on the wing, but the opposition players seem to have recovered from the early setback to get their heads in the game.

Messi brings down the ball on the right side of the pitch and tries to squeeze his way into the box with a one-two move with Alvarez. However the Zambian defence does well to read the pass and make a vital interception.

Zambia is slowly trying to find some footing in the game as a shot comes in from outside the box. Mac Allister, sporting a new look, does well to get into a position ot make a block.

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The world champion seems to be in the groove tonight. The Zambia players are scrambling to win and get back into position as the home side keeps on advancing and pushing them into their own box.

Julian Alvarez scores!!

Paredes plays a long ball from the back line towards Messi on the right side of the box. The Talisman brings it down with ease before shifting past his man and finding Alvarez in the middle of the penalty area.

The Atletico Madrid forward does not waste time taking a touch and instead slots the ball first time into the bottom left corner to take the lead.

Lionel Scaloni’s men will be desperate for a strong showing after a below-par performance against Mauritania, where they failed to assert dominance before edging out a narrow 2-1 win.

Zambia kicks off the match shooting from left to right.

And here we go! The players are making their way into the Estadio Alberto J Armando. Fashion Sakala captains Zambia while Lionel Messi leads the world champion out in front of its fans.

Zambia’s national anthem is played first followed by Argentina’s.

Argentina beats Mauritania 2-1 to continue FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations on the high

Enzo Fernandez and Nico Paz scored for Argentina in the second half, while Jordan Lefort pulled one back for Mauritania at the La Bombonera on Friday.

Mwanza (gk), Mwimanzi, Sinkala, Chanda, O. Chisala, W. Chisala, Simukonda, Kalusa, Kangwanda, Sakala, Mutandwa

Martinez (gk), Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Paredes, E. Fernandez, Mac Allister, Almada, Alvarez, Messi

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Lionel Messi to start for Argentina in friendly against Zambia

Lionel Messi will start for Argentina in a friendly against Zambia on Tuesday in what is the reigning world champion’s final game on home soil before it begins its FIFA World Cup title defence.

The Argentina vs Zambia international friendly match will kick off at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1, at the Estadio Alberto J Armando in Buenos Aires.

The match will not be telecast or live-streamed anywhere in India.

Welcome to Sportstar’s live blog of the Argentina vs Zambia international friendly match being played at the Estadio Alberto J Armando in Buenos Aires.

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