Messi reached new Milestones in Argentina's first game back since their triumph in Qatar.
The World Champions, Argentina, lined up for the first time in the early hours of today against Panama since their triumph in Qatar 2022.
Lionel Scaloni named the exact lineup as the one that was victorious against France in commemoration, and captain Lionel Messi was on target again—as he did twice in the World Cup final—to reach new career milestones.
Argentina win first game back
The 7-time Ballon d'Or winner is one of the most prolific scorers of all time, and in the match against Panama, he added a new feather to his fluffy hat.
10:24 - 03.03.2023
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The first-half of the game was a relatively drab affair, with Argentina slow to get into gear and Panama not having enough quality to punish Albiceleste's complacency.
The hosts unavoidably had chances to score in the half, with Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandes hitting the bar, however, Panama scaled through the half without conceding.
The hosts improved in the second half, continuing to pepper Panama's goal. They took the lead in the 78th minute, when Leandro Paredes found Thiago Almeida, who finished brilliantly.
Lionel Messi's moment will come late in the game, from a free-kick in what could be described as a Messi position. The 35-year-old curled the ball into the top right corner to seal Argentina's victory.
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Messi reaches the 800-goal milestone
Messi's strike against Panama in the 89th minute of the game was his 800th career goal in his illustrious career.
He scored 799th for PSG against Nantes and has been looking for his 8th century ever since. The record to be had in the game looked to be on the diminutive magician's mind, and he had a whopping 16 shots in the game, two of which were free kicks that crashed against the bar before his 89th-minute goal.
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