ARG 7-0 CUR highlights: Messi scores 100th international goal as Argentina notches thumping win against Curacao

A Messi hat-trick and goals by Di Maria, Montiel, Enzo and Nico give Argentina a massive 7-0 win against Curacao.

A historic night for Messi as he bagged his 100th goal for Argentina.

One minute added at the end of the second-half!!

Messi gets the ball inside the box and finds himself in space. He tries to poke the ball at the far-corner but misses the target.

GOOOOALLLLL!! MONTIEL SCORES GOAL NUMBER 7 FOR ARGENTINA!! The man who scored the World Cup winning penalty for Argentina gets his goal. Dybala does well to find Montiel with a cutback from the left and the latter takes a first-time shot to put the ball inside the net. Room got a hand to it but could not keep it out.

Messi carries the ball from the middle of the park, cut in to his favourite left foot, and powered a low driving shot at goal. But Room does well to make the save.

Curacao subs: IN- Felida and Roemeratoe OUT- Leandro Bacuna and VurnonAnita

Messi takes the freekick but sees his effort sail above the crossbar.

Curacao’s Vurnon Anita is shown a yellow card for his mistimed challenge on Nico Gonzalez.

Argentina sub: IN- Armani OUT- Emi Martinez.

You know a team is cruising when there is a goalkeeping change without any injury.

GOOOOALLL!! DI MARIA CONVERTS FROM THE SPOT TO MAKE IT SIX FOR ARGENTINA!! Di Maria takes a slow run-up and slots the ball in the bottom-left corner, sending Room the wrong way.

PENALTY FOR ARGENTINA!! Martina blocks Di Maria’s shot with his hand inside his own box and Argentina has a chance to make it six.

Leandro Bacuna goes for the spectacular as he takes a shot from distance. But the effort does not threaten Emi Martinez, and the ball goes out for a goalkick.

Dybala shows some lovely footwork and almost plays Messi through a tight gap. But, Curacao keeps their defence compact enough to cut out the pass.

Curacao sub: IN- Severna OUT- Kuwas

There is a penalty shout as Messi takes a tumble inside the box but the referee immediately asks the Argentine skipper to get up and continue with play. Van Eijma did did make contact but it was not enough for a spot-kick.

Messi spots Dybala’s run and finds him with a deft pass. One-on-one with Room, Dybala gets his shot away but the Curacao shows a solid pair of hands to make the save.

Di Maria almost receives the ball from a long pass by De Paul. But Floranus takes the ball away with a sublime touch.

It has been a calmer second-half by Argentina, compared to the first-half. But, that can change any moment. Scaloni will want his men to score more.

Argentina subs: IN- Di María and Dybala OUT- Lo Celso and Lautaro

Juninho Bacuna wins another freekick. This time, De Paul brings him down .

The ball is delivered inside the box from the freekick and Van Eijma gets his header away. But Emi Martinez is alert and makes the save.

Leandro Bacuna and Juninho Bacuno were over the ball. It is Leandro who takes the shot. However, he misses the target but not by much.

Curacao wins a freekick in a dangerous area after Juninho Bacuna is fouled by Pezzella just outside the box.

There was a mixup at the back that could have led to another Messi goal but Van Eijma puts in a well-timed challenge to stop the Argentine skipper from getting to the ball. It was inside the box so he had to be perfect with his tackle.

Curacao subs: IN- Antonisse and Zivkovic OUT- Janga and Gorré

Another chance for Lautaro- This time, he comes in from the left and dispatches a venommous shot at the far-post. The Curacao defenders had backed off but Room does well to make the save..

Chance- Lautaro has another chance to get into the scoresheet. Lo Celso makes a good run and sets up Lautaro with a good pass. Lautaro, who had all the time and space, chose power over finesse, but his shot is saved by Room. It hasn’t happened for him tonight.

Curacao had a chance to make something from a freekick. Kuwas goes for the shot. He catches it well but hits the ball straight into the wall. A wasted chance for Curacao.

Meanwhile, Argentina had a great chance just before the triple substitution. Argentina won the ball high up the pitch. Mac Allister rolled the ball to Nico on the left. Nico flashed a cross across the face of the goal and Montiel was there at the far-post to try and get a touch. But the ball was too high for Montiel and he could not get a touch.

Argentina subs: IN- Foyth, Palacios and DePaul OUT-Otamendi, MacAllister and Enzo

Messi takes the freekick but does not find the target with his shot. Given his goalscoring form in the match, it is more surprising if he does not find the net honestly.

Mac Allister is fouled just outside the box and Argentina has a freekick in a dangerous position. Any guesses for who is taking it?

The half-time show was still on as the referee blew his whistle for the second-half, but it is quickly stopped as the players get on with the second-half. Earlier, Messi was spotted for the music to end and the half to begin. Can you blame him?

The second-half between Argentina and Curacao kicks-off. The world champion is leading by a 5-0 scoreline.

No added time from the referee and both teams break for half-time. Argentina has scored for fun and leads Curacao by a massive 5-0 scoreline at the break.

Junior Bacuna has injured himself after crashing into Montiel. He leaves the field momentarily.

Argentina seems to have toned down the pace for a moment.. wait they are on the attack again. Given the circumstances, it is difficult to predict how many Scaloni’s men will score here.

GOOOOALLL!! MESSI GETS A FIRST-HALF HAT-TRICK!! Lo Celso does well to find Messi and Argentina breaks for a counter-attack. Messi travels a long way with the ball and keeps his calm to slot the ball past Room for his third and Argentina’s fifth. It is a goalfest right now.

GOOOALLLLL!!! ENZO FERNANDEZ JOINS THE PARTY TO SCORE ARGENTINA’S FOURTH!! He gets the ball outside the box, has a look and lashes the ball inside the net from distance. Curacao keeper Room was a mere spectator as the ball fizzed past him.

GOOOALLLL!! WHO ELSE BUT MESSI? HE GETS HIS SECOND!! Nico González plays a simple pass to Messi on the right of the box. Messi cuts inside and finessess the ball at the far-corner of. No chance for Room to get a touch.

Lautaro has a half-chance after being played a ball by Messi, but he cannot find the net. Meanwhile, Messi seems to be at his absolute best today.

Curacao is visibly shaken as Argentina continue its onslaught. Every Albiceleste attack seems like it will end up in the back of the net.

GOOOOALLLLL!! NICO GONZALEZ SCORES TO DOUBLE ARGENTINA’S LEAD!! This goal comes from a corner. Enzo Fernandez shot at goal, but the ball was cleared off the line. Nico did not give up and jumped the highest to get to the rebound and put the ball inside the net.

GOOOOALLLLL!!! LIONEL MESSI SCORES HIS 100TH GOAL FOR ARGENTINA!! Messi takes the ball inside the box, shows excellent balance to shift to the right, avoiding two challenges from the defenders. He then lashes a shot into the bottom left corner.

Curacao enjoying a good spell of possession. Kuwas shows his smooth footwork to get out of a tight space between Pezzella and Acuna, before spreading a pass to Anita.

Flurry of chances for Argentina- Nico Gonzalez comes close to scoring this time. His effort from a tight angle hits the side-netting. Difficult to say whether it was a shot or a cross.

Close- Lautaro comes close to scoring again, as his shot skims off the post. Argentina can feel the first goal coming.

Big chance for Messi- Montiel’s cutback from the left finds Messi, who had positioned himself between Van Eijma and Floranus. Messi meets the ball with aa ferocious shot but it is saved well by Room.

Messi shoots from the edge of the Curacao box, which takes a deflection and goes out for an Argentina corner. The Argentine skipper must be itching to score that coveted 100th international goal.

Curacao’s Kuwas is currently down on the ground, which halts play. It seemed like Acuna had caught him from behind. It is nothing serious and he should be okay to continue.

Argentina break and Lautaro tries to thread the ball to Messi, who had made a good run. However, his pass is anticipated by the opposition.

As expected, it is Argentina enjoying the lion’s share of the possession in these early minutes.

BIG CHANCE- How was Argentina not scored there? Messi does well to shield the ball and make a run inside the Curacao box. He squares the ball to Lautaro, who has an open net in front of him. But, the ball got cauught under his feet and the striker cannot poke the ball inside the net.

Argentina starts on a positive note as Curacao maintains a low block to soak the early Argentina pressure. Acuna makes a burst forward with the ball but cannot keep the ball in play. Goalkick to Curacao.

The friendly match between Argentina and Curacao kicks-off at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.

Argentina

Win -Argentina 2-0 Panama

Win- Argentina 2-2 France (Won 4-2 on penalties)

Win- Argentina 3-0 Croatia

Win- Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (Won 4-3 on penalties)

Win- Argentina 2-1 Australia

Curacao

Loss- Curacao 0-2 Canada

Loss- Indonesia 2-1 Curacao

Loss- Canada 4-0 Curacao

Win- Honduras 1-2 Curacao

Loss- Curacao 0-1 Honduras

Argentina XI: E.Martinez(GK); Montiel, Pezzella, Otamendi, Acuna; Lo Celso, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, La. Martinez, Gonzalez

Curacao XI : Room(GK); Martina, Gaari, Van Eijma, Floranus; L. Bacuna, Anita, J. Bacuna; Antonisse, Janga, Gorre

Argentina and Curacao have faced off just once in their history. The match happened on March 13, 1955 at the Pan American Games, where Argentina edged a 2-1 win.

World Champion Argentina will play Curacao in its second international friendly match on Wednesday at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.

Clinching a 2-0 win against Panama in the first friendly, it was a special night for Lionel Messi, as the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner netted his 800th career goal from a free kick. Earlier, Thiago Almada scored to break the deadlock.

Lionel Scaloni’s side has won all its last five friendly matches and has maintained five successive clean sheets. The game against Curacao is Argentina’s last friendly outing before the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup commences in six months.

Team news

Four uncapped players can hope to make their international debut for Argentina- Lautaro Blanco, Facundo Buonanotte, Valentin Carboni and Maximo Perrone. Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Leandro Paredes and Lisandro Martinez- who all started on the bench against Panama, will be in contention to start the match against Curacao.

For Curacao, centre-back Jurien Gaari saw a red card for two bookable offences in the loss to Canada but is available for this friendly. Attacker Brandley Kuwas, who came off before half-time in that game, could now miss out.

Argentina vs Curacao Predicted 11

Argentina: Rulli(GK); Montiel, Pezzella, Lisandro Martinez, Acuna; Almada, Paredes, Palacios; Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Dybala.

Curacao: Room(GK); Martina, Gaari, Van Eijma, Floranus; L. Bacuna, Anita, J. Bacuna; Antonisse, Janga, Gorre.

When will Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match ve played?

The Argentina vs Curacao match will be played on Wednesday, 29th March.

What time will Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match kick-off?

The Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will begin at 5:00 AM IST

How do I watch live streaming of Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match?

Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will not be streamed in India.

Which TV Channel will telecast Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match live?

The Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will not be telecasted in India.