Argentina secured a 2-0 victory over Honduras on Saturday, marking their second-to-last friendly ahead of the FIFA World Cup set to kick off on June 11.
The lively crowd at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, passionately supported Argentina, though they likely felt let down as their star player Lionel Messi remained on the sidelines, recovering from muscle fatigue.
Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute after a foul on Nicolás Tagliafico led to a spot kick for the defending World Cup champions.
In the early moments of the second half, Atlético Madrid‘s Giuliano Simeone doubled the lead, finishing skillfully after a clever backheel from Lautaro set him up.
“We have to go defend what we achieved in Qatar. It’s going to be tough, but we’ll give it everything to represent Argentina as best as we can,” Martínez stated post-match.
Shortly after Simeone’s strike, coach Scaloni made several lineup changes, though Messi remained off the field. The 38-year-old star had sustained a minor injury on May 25 during his last match with Inter Miami before rejoining the national team.
“It’s challenging for Argentines to hold back when they step onto the pitch,” Scaloni remarked, referring to players who didn’t see action. “They always give their all, which is why we manage their workloads carefully to ensure everyone gets minutes.”
The team has indicated that Messi’s recovery timeline will be determined by his “clinical and functional progress.”
As Messi is rumored to retire from international soccer after this summer’s tournament, he holds the record for the most World Cup appearances (26) and needs four goals to surpass Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record of 16.
Argentina will kick off their Group J campaign against Algeria on June 16, followed by matches against Austria and Jordan. Before that, Scaloni’s squad will face Iceland in their last friendly on June 9.
This recap features contributions from ESPN’s Lizzy Becherano, with additional information from The Associated Press.