Lionel Messi scored two brilliant goals as Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 on Friday and made their last home World Cup qualifier match a memorable one. 38-year-old Messi may not have specified the date of his retirement from cricket, but he had already indicated that this match against Venezuela will be his last World Cup qualifier on his home ground. The current world champion Argentina, which had qualified for the World Cup to be held in North America last year, dominated the match from the beginning. Nicolas Tagliafico and Franco Mastantuno created early chances, but Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Romo stopped them.
In the 39th minute, Messi scored a quick counter-attack from Julian Alvarez’s pass under captaincy and gave Argentina the lead. Argentina maintained its dominance in the second half as well. In the 76th minute, Lautaro Martínez scored the second goal with a diving header from Nico Gonzales’ cross. Just four minutes later, Messi scored another goal on an assist from Thiago Almada to make the score 3–0.
With this victory, Argentina has topped the 2026 World Cup South American qualifying table with 38 points. Now the team will play its last group match against Ecuador on Tuesday. Whereas Venezuela will face Colombia on its home ground with hopes of qualification.
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