June 15, (THEWILL) – Argentina’s talisman, Lionel Messi, was in scintillating form, scoring twice to propel the defending Copa America champions to a 4-1 victory over Guatemala in their final warm-up match on Thursday. The result served as an ominous warning to their rivals ahead of the 2024 continental tournament in the United States.
Messi opened his side’s scoring in the 12th minute, cancelling out Lisandro Martinez’s early own goal. The 36-year-old maestro then sealed the win with his 107th international strike in the 77th minute. Martinez also impressed, scoring a first-half penalty and adding a second after the break following exquisite play from Messi.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged room for improvement. “The goals and the attitude were good things. However, we were erratic with the passes and could be in bad shape for the counter-attacks,” Scaloni stated. The coach confirmed Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho will be part of Argentina’s Copa America squad.
Argentina will commence their title defence against Canada on June 20 before facing Chile and Peru in Group A. Messi underlined his team’s ambition, declaring: “We’re going to keep trying to do our best, we still want to keep winning titles.”
The diminutive genius has his sights set on more silverware after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
