Argentina, the reigning world champions, thrashed Zambia 5–0 on Tuesday at La Bombonera in a friendly match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with captain Nicolás Otamendi scoring from the penalty spot.
In Buenos Aires, with Lionel Messi pulling the strings, Argentina dominated throughout, bouncing back from a disappointing 2–1 win over Mauritania in their previous friendly.
The hosts opened the scoring in the fourth minute through Julián Álvarez, following a cross from Messi and a slight touch by Thiago Almada.
Just before halftime, in the 43rd minute, Messi made it 2–0 after a solo effort and a one-two with Alexis Mac Allister, scoring his 116th international goal in 198 appearances. Across his senior career, he now has 929 goals in 1,200 matches.
Read more: World Cup 2026: France beats Brazil 2-1 (with video)
In the second half, Almada was fouled in the box and, although Messi could have taken the penalty, he handed it to Otamendi, who scored his eighth goal for Argentina—possibly his final home appearance for the national team.
Argentina added two more goals: an own goal by Dominic Chanda in the 68th minute, and a stoppage-time strike by Valentín Barco, assisted with a backheel by Nico González after a brilliant pass from Messi.
Messi has yet to confirm whether he will play at the 2026 World Cup, but once again showed he remains Argentina’s key figure.
Meanwhile, Brazil bounced back from a 2–1 loss to France by defeating Croatia 3–1 in Orlando, United States, in a result that did not fully reflect the challenges faced by the team coached by Carlo Ancelotti.
Danilo Santos gave Brazil the lead in first-half stoppage time (45+2) after an assist from Vinícius Júnior. However, Lovro Majer equalized in the 84th minute following a mistake by goalkeeper Bento.
Shortly after, a penalty won by Endrick allowed Igor Thiago to restore Brazil’s lead in the 88th minute, before Gabriel Martinelli sealed the victory on the counterattack in stoppage time (90+2).
