No added time from the referee and both teams break for half-time. Argentina has scored for fun and leads Curacao by a massive 5-0 scoreline at the break.
Junior Bacuna has injured himself after crashing into Montiel. He leaves the field momentarily.
Argentina seems to have toned down the pace for a moment.. wait they are on the attack again. Given the circumstances, it is difficult to predict how many Scaloni’s men will score here.
GOOOOALLL!! MESSI GETS A FIRST-HALF HAT-TRICK!! Lo Celso does well to find Messi and Argentina breaks for a counter-attack. Messi travels a long way with the ball and keeps his calm to slot the ball past Room for his third and Argentina’s fifth. It is a goalfest right now.
GOOOALLLLL!!! ENZO FERNANDEZ JOINS THE PARTY TO SCORE ARGENTINA’S FOURTH!! He gets the ball outside the box, has a look and lashes the ball inside the net from distance. Curacao keeper Room was a mere spectator as the ball fizzed past him.
GOOOALLLL!! WHO ELSE BUT MESSI? HE GETS HIS SECOND!! Nico González plays a simple pass to Messi on the right of the box. Messi cuts inside and finessess the ball at the far-corner of. No chance for Room to get a touch.
Lautaro has a half-chance after being played a ball by Messi, but he cannot find the net. Meanwhile, Messi seems to be at his absolute best today.
Curacao is visibly shaken as Argentina continue its onslaught. Every Albiceleste attack seems like it will end up in the back of the net.
GOOOOALLLLL!! NICO GONZALEZ SCORES TO DOUBLE ARGENTINA’S LEAD!! This goal comes from a corner. Nico Gonzalez shoots at goal, but it is cleared off the line. But, the player did not give up and jumped the highest to get to the rebound and put the ball inside the net.
GOOOOALLLLL!!! LIONEL MESSI SCORES HIS 100TH GOAL FOR ARGENTINA!! Messi takes the ball inside the box, shows excellent balance to shift to the right, avoiding two challenges from the defenders. He then lashes a shot into the bottom left corner.
Curacao enjoying a good spell of possession. Kuwas shows his smooth footwork to get out of a tight space between Pezzella and Acuna, before spreading a pass to Anita.
Flurry of chances for Argentina- Nico Gonzalez comes close to scoring this time. His effort from a tight angle hits the side-netting. Difficult to say whether it was a shot or a cross.
Close- Lautaro comes close to scoring again, as his shot skims off the post. Argentina can feel the first goal coming.
Big chance for Messi- Montiel’s cutback from the left finds Messi, who had positioned himself between Van Eijma and Floranus. Messi meets the ball with aa ferocious shot but it is saved well by Room.
Messi shoots from the edge of the Curacao box, which takes a deflection and goes out for an Argentina corner. The Argentine skipper must be itching to score that coveted 100th international goal.
Curacao’s Kuwas is currently down on the ground, which halts play. It seemed like Acuna had caught him from behind. It is nothing serious and he should be okay to continue.
Argentina break and Lautaro tries to thread the ball to Messi, who had made a good run. However, his pass is anticipated by the opposition.
As expected, it is Argentina enjoying the lion’s share of the possession in these early minutes.
BIG CHANCE- How was Argentina not scored there? Messi does well to shield the ball and make a run inside the Curacao box. He squares the ball to Lautaro, who has an open net in front of him. But, the ball got cauught under his feet and the striker cannot poke the ball inside the net.
Argentina starts on a positive note as Curacao maintains a low block to soak the early Argentina pressure. Acuna makes a burst forward with the ball but cannot keep the ball in play. Goalkick to Curacao.
The friendly match between Argentina and Curacao kicks-off at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
Argentina
Win -Argentina 2-0 Panama
Win- Argentina 2-2 France (Won 4-2 on penalties)
Win- Argentina 3-0 Croatia
Win- Netherlands 2-2 Argentina (Won 4-3 on penalties)
Win- Argentina 2-1 Australia
Curacao
Loss- Curacao 0-2 Canada
Loss- Indonesia 2-1 Curacao
Loss- Canada 4-0 Curacao
Win- Honduras 1-2 Curacao
Loss- Curacao 0-1 Honduras
Argentina XI: E.Martinez(GK); Montiel, Pezzella, Otamendi, Acuna; Lo Celso, Fernandez, Mac Allister; Messi, La. Martinez, Gonzalez
Curacao XI : Room(GK); Martina, Gaari, Van Eijma, Floranus; L. Bacuna, Anita, J. Bacuna; Antonisse, Janga, Gorre
Argentina and Curacao have faced off just once in their history. The match happened on March 13, 1955 at the Pan American Games, where Argentina edged a 2-1 win.
World Champion Argentina will play Curacao in its second international friendly match on Wednesday at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
Clinching a 2-0 win against Panama in the first friendly, it was a special night for Lionel Messi, as the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner netted his 800th career goal from a free kick. Earlier, Thiago Almada scored to break the deadlock.
Lionel Scaloni’s side has won all its last five friendly matches and has maintained five successive clean sheets. The game against Curacao is Argentina’s last friendly outing before the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup commences in six months.
Team news
Four uncapped players can hope to make their international debut for Argentina- Lautaro Blanco, Facundo Buonanotte, Valentin Carboni and Maximo Perrone. Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Leandro Paredes and Lisandro Martinez- who all started on the bench against Panama, will be in contention to start the match against Curacao.
List of key matches in upcoming international breakFor Curacao, centre-back Jurien Gaari saw a red card for two bookable offences in the loss to Canada but is available for this friendly. Attacker Brandley Kuwas, who came off before half-time in that game, could now miss out.
Argentina vs Curacao Predicted 11
Argentina: Rulli(GK); Montiel, Pezzella, Lisandro Martinez, Acuna; Almada, Paredes, Palacios; Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Dybala.
Curacao: Room(GK); Martina, Gaari, Van Eijma, Floranus; L. Bacuna, Anita, J. Bacuna; Antonisse, Janga, Gorre.
When will Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match ve played?
The Argentina vs Curacao match will be played on Wednesday, 29th March.
What time will Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match kick-off?
The Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will begin at 5:00 AM IST
How do I watch live streaming of Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match?
Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will not be streamed in India.
Which TV Channel will telecast Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match live?
The Argentina vs Curacao international friendly match will not be telecasted in India.