Messi scored in 79 seconds
Although it was only a friendly, the match between Argentina and Australia received a lot of attention when it was held in China. The media said that the Argentine Football Federation will pocket millions of dollars from this Asian tour. That’s not to mention many other business interests in the country of billions of people.
For this reason, coach Scaloni launched the strongest possible squad. Messi and Di María, Nico González form a three-man attack for the Argentina team. And in the middle is a trio of midfielders who shone at the World Cup: Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo De Paul. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez also caught this match.
Immediately after the opening whistle, Argentina immediately flooded the opposite field. Enzo Fernández steals the ball and passes it to Messi. The 36-year-old superstar performed a body phase and then unleashed a heart-stopping shot from a distance of almost 20 meters. The lobs are extremely dangerous, making goalkeeper Mathew Ryan unable to hold hands.
It all happened in just 79 seconds. The Goal.com page said that this is also the fastest goal of Messi’s career.
Worth the ticket price 680 USD
After opening the scoring too quickly, Argentina played quite calmly. They completely dominated the game and created many chances. However, it took Argentina until the 68th minute to double the difference.
The target this time is the midfielder Pezzella. He moved wisely in the penalty area to catch De Paul’s annoying cross, with a header from close range to beat goalkeeper Ryan.
Earlier, the Australian goalkeeper showed his talent to stop a series of shots from the Argentine forwards.
As a friendly match, coach Scaloni replaced 6 players in the second half, however, Messi was able to kick until the last minute. The Inter Miami superstar satisfied the Chinese fans with many first-class drives.
Messi’s performance can satisfy Chinese fans, who have to spend a lot of money to buy tickets for the match. Ticket prices for this match are known to range from $82 to $680.
After this match, Argentina will travel to Jakarta to play a friendly match with Indonesia. However, it is likely that Messi will not play in this match.
Why did Messi choose a new team established 5 years ago: Inter Miami?
