fifa-world-cup-2026

Messi Scores, Argentina Completes World Cup Prep with Victory

2:23 pm - June 10, 2026
Sports
fifa-world-cup-2026

Darwin, 10 June : He wasn’t in the starting eleven. He didn’t come on even right after halftime. But in the 69th minute, when he entered the field, there was only one name on everyone’s lips—Lionel Messi! The 88,000-strong crowd at the stadium were not disappointed, nor was Messi himself.

He scored, he assisted—a touch of his magic ensured a big win as defending champions Argentina completed their World Cup preparations by beating Iceland 3-0. Besides Messi, goals were scored by Thiago Almada and Valentín Barco.

The world champions have won both of their pre-World Cup friendlies. After previously defeating Honduras 2-0, Argentina now beat Iceland. With these two victories in hand, the three-time world champions will head into the World Cup confidently.

In this match, Argentina scored as early as the 8th minute. Iceland failed to properly clear the ball from their box, and Barco netted a superb goal amidst the scramble, putting Argentina ahead. The 21-year-old has now scored two goals in four matches wearing the Argentine jersey.

The second goal was Messi’s. It came after halftime. Messi, coming on as a substitute, delivered a brilliant pass to Lautaro Martínez. Just as Martínez was about to chip the ball over Iceland goalkeeper Elias Rafn Ólafsson, he was fouled. The referee awarded a penalty.

Messi didn’t miss from the spot. When the ball hit the net, the match clock read 71.03 minutes—meaning Messi scored just 119 seconds after coming on.

The next goal also involved Messi. In the 86th minute, a pass from Messi led to Argentina’s third goal, finished by Lautaro Martínez, securing a 3-0 victory. Overall, a superb win completed the World Cup preparations for Lionel Scaloni’s team.

Only a mindset focused solely on monetary gain could ignore this: Bengali, Philosophy, and History are not just academic subjects. They form the core of a nation’s culture, thinking, and identity. Even during the Industrial Revolution, Europe did not abandon cultural pursuits.