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Lionel Messi bags two goals and an assist as Argentina outclassed Guatemala 4-1 to prepare for 2024 Copa America.
In his first international appearance since November, Lionel Messi notched two goals and provided an assist as Argentina defeated Guatemala 4-1 on Friday night to finish their 2024 Copa America preparations.
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After playing 35 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Ecuador, another team vying for a spot in the Copa America, Messi completed the whole 90 minutes for manager Lionel Scaloni.
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Due to a hamstring problem, he was forced to miss two international friendlies in March. This is one of the reasons for his six MLS absences from Inter Miami.
His impressive performance, which included a free kick that struck the post, could allay Argentina's fears ahead of their opening group play match against Canada in Atlanta on Thursday.
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Messi scores 2 goals as Argentina destroys Guatemala 4-1
In addition, Lautaro Martinez scored twice for the reigning World Cup and Copa America winners against Guatemala, which is ranked 108th in the world by FIFA.
That featured Messi's usual role during tournament play—scoring from the penalty spot for Argentina.
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In the fourth minute, Lisandro Martinez, a defender for Argentina, unintentionally shoved the ball across the goal line after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez diverted a chance from a free kick only as far as Martinez. This gave Guatemala an unexpected lead.
After just eight minutes, Messi tied the score when a poor pass by Guatemalan goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen put the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner in front of an open goal from roughly 12 yards away.
After Messi fed Valentin Carboni into the right side of the penalty box in the 38th minute, Nicolas Samayoa of Guatemala had to slide tackle the winger to bring him down, which led to Lautaro Martinez's penalty.
In the 66th minute, Martinez scored his second goal after Messi received an excellent one-time pass from Enzo Fernandez over the top and finished it back across goal.
Messi scored in the 77th minute after a deft give-and-go with Angel di Maria, chipping Hagen.
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