Messi says goodbye to home crowd in a win over Chipolopolo

It’s not 100 percent guaranteed, but it’s very likely. Lionel Messi has probably played his last match for the national team on Argentine soil. One of the greatest footballers of all time is expected to end his international career after the World Cup in July. Before the tournament begins, Argentina will play one or two more friendlies (possibly one against Serbia national football team), but not in Argentina—instead, in the United States. The famous La Bombonera hosted an emotional and convincing night, as Argentina defeated Zambia national football team 5–0 (2–0). Although it was a friendly match, it carried special weight, as it is believed this was Messi’s final appearance on home soil in the national team jersey. And he said goodbye to the home crowd in style, scoring in the 43rd minute for 2–0 after a one-two with Alexis Mac Allister. It was Messi’s 116th goal for the national team in his 198th appearance.

From the opening whistle, Argentina showed they wanted to deliver a much better performance than in the previous week’s narrow 2–1 win over Mauritania. As early as the third minute, Messi recorded his eighth assist in his last nine matches at La Bombonera, delivering a perfectly weighted pass to Julian Álvarez, who calmly finished into the bottom-left corner past helpless goalkeeper Willard Mwanza. The early pressure continued, and Alvarez nearly returned the favor just seven minutes later, but Zambia’s defense managed to intervene. Zambia, which has struggled for a decade against non-African teams—often conceding three or more goals—had no answer to the hosts’ play. Just before halftime, in the 44th minute, Mac Allister played a brilliant through ball, and Messi, after a quick exchange, finished from close range into the bottom-right corner to make it 2–0.

Only five minutes into the second half, Zambia’s fate was sealed. Albert Kangwanda clumsily brought down Thiago Almada in the penalty area. While everyone expected Messi to take the spot kick, the stadium erupted in applause when he handed the ball to vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi, who calmly converted for 3–0. In the 68th minute, the lead grew to 4–0. After a fine move involving Valentín Barco and Almada, the ball deflected off Dominic Chanda’s head into Zambia’s net for an own goal. The final touch came deep into stoppage time, when young Valentín Barco scored to make it 5–0. With this victory, Argentina recorded its 26th clean sheet in 31 wins since lifting the 2022 World Cup. At the upcoming tournament, Argentina will face Austria, Algeria, and Jordan in the group stage.