Argentina Crushes Curacao 7-0 in Friendly Match as Messi Scores Hat-trick and Surpasses 100-goal Mark

 

Argentina Crushes Curacao 7-0 in Friendly Match as Messi Scores Hat-trick and Surpasses 100-goal Mark

Argentina extended their celebrations post-World Cup with a dominant 7-0 victory against Curacao in a friendly match, which turned out to be another memorable night for their star player, Lionel Messi.

 

Messi showcased his exceptional skills in the first half, scoring a hat-trick, which helped him surpass the 100-goal mark for Argentina. Meanwhile, Nicolas Gonzalez and Enzo Fernandez also scored before half-time, adding to Curacao's misery in Santiago del Estero.

 

This was the second consecutive match in which Messi achieved a significant milestone, after reaching the 800-goal mark for club and country in a 2-0 win over Panama.

 

Despite a valiant effort from Curacao in the opening 20 minutes, once Messi scored his first goal, there was no stopping the Argentine side. Gonzalez headed in Argentina's second from close range, and then Messi scored his second goal with his signature bending shot from his left foot. Later, he set up Fernandez for a thunderous strike from distance to make it 4-0 before completing his hat-trick by rolling his shot past a helpless goalkeeper.

 

In the second half, the hosts seemed content to play at a slower pace, and Argentina added two more goals to their tally in the 78th minute through an Angel Di Maria penalty and a close-range strike from Gonzalo Montiel.

 

After the match, Lionel Scaloni and his 2022 World Cup-winning team received tributes from the home crowd. They will regroup in June for another international break and prepare for the start of CONMEBOL qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in September.