In front of a rapt home crowd at the Monumental Stadium on Tuesday, Argentina defeated Bolivia 6-0 in South American qualifications for the 2026 World Cup. Lionel Messi scored his 10th international hat-trick and assisted on two more goals.
In just his second international match since recuperating from an injury he suffered at the Copa America in July, Messi scored the game’s first goal in the 19th minute by taking advantage of a blunder by Marcelo Suarez, the defense.
The hosts were able to increase their lead with a pair of excellent stops from Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra, but he was overcome in the 43rd minute when Lautaro Martinez scored off of Messi’s short cross.
Just before halftime, Argentina took a 3-0 lead thanks to Messi’s assist for Julian Alvarez to score.
Lionel Scaloni’s side controlled the second half and looked like they had extended their lead through Nicolas Otamendi, only to see the goal disallowed for offside.
But Thiago Almada, a substitute, did make it 4-0 when he scored on a feed from Nahuel Molina in the 70th minute, turning the stadium into an Argentine fiesta.
In the last seconds, Messi (37), who had already defeated two Bolivian defenders, gave the supporters even more cause to cheer when he fired a hard shot past Viscarra for his second goal.
With just two more minutes remaining, Messi completed the hat-trick and tied Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal for the most goals scored in men’s international matches. The Argentine captain scored with a left-footed drive to bring his total to 112 goals for his nation.
“It’s really nice to come here, to feel the affection of the people; it moves me how they shout my name,” stated Messi.
“I’m driven by this. savoring my happiness right now. In spite of my advanced age, when I’m here, I feel like a kid because I’m comfortable with this team. As long as I feel good and can keep performing the way I want, I’ll keep enjoying it.”
Argentina are top of the standings with 22 points, having returned to winning ways after losing to Colombia last month and drawing with Venezuela last week.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
(Reuters)
