More than 83,000 people packed the Monumental Stadium to see the Argentine team

The Argentine national team beat Panama 2-0 in a friendly that served Albiceleste as an excuse to celebrate winning the third world title achieved in Qatar 2022and allowed Lionel Messi come to 800 goals in his career.

83,000 people filled the stands of the River Plate stadium and shouted and sang at the top of their lungs boysthe song La Mosca Tsetse which has become the hobby’s unofficial anthem.

Argentina managed to crown the round number of goals for their captain and become the first world champion of the century who manages to debut his title with a victory after failed Brazil (2002), Italy (2006), Spain (2010), Germany (2014) and France (2018). With the goals of Thiago Almada and Messi himself, the Argentine team won in front of their fans, in a day marked by festivities with lighting, fireworks and various musical performances.

After a moment of pure emotion when the world champion entered the stadium with players and children, it was difficult for the Albiceleste to impose their game against Panama, who arrived on the territory of South America without their main figures.

Panama played this match without coach, Dane Thomas Christiansen and with Jorge Dely Valdés at the helm of a young team, while the main leaders remained in the country preparing for a match against Costa Rica in the sixth round of the Concacaf Nations League next Tuesday.

Argentina, meanwhile, had an exciting reunion with his audience who cheered on their idols and heroes who won the world championship title, after 36 years of waiting since that distant conquest of Mexico in 1986. The match started with a lukewarm attack by the home team, which did not find links between the home players and the strong Panamanian. defense led by Edgardo Fariña.

In the 17th minute, and after the usual ovation for Diego Maradona in the 10th minutehe was one of the clearest of the game with Messi’s free kick hitting the post against José Guerra who could only watch the ball.

Argentina had two more chances thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s low shot which Guerra controlled in the 23rd minute and Ángel Di Maria’s second five minutes later which shot over the bar.

In the 42nd minute, Argentina had their great chance again with a clean blast from right to left, but their definition went over the bar. A minute later, Enzo Fernández tested from mid-range, and goalkeeper Guerra sent the ball into the corner with a spectacular shot by Guerra.

In the second half, Lionel Scaloni decided to move the bench with Lisandro Martínez, Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martínez for Nicolás Otamendi, Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez, while on the road Víctor Medina and Omar Browne replaced Cristian Quevedo and Ronald Córdoba.

At the beginning of extra time, Messi almost converted a closed corner that required a response from Guerra, and in the 51st minute, Messi’s new free kick required another intervention from the San Francisco goalkeeper.

In the 56th minute, another free kick by the Argentine captain and player of the French PSG again sought Guerra, who put the ball over the crossbar. Just two minutes later, Ángel Di María’s shot forced another save from Guerra, who had a fair save from Iván Anderson on the rebound before Nicolás Tagliafico met the goal to set it up.

After a quarter of an hour in the second half, Scaloni moved the goal again with the introduction of Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes for Ángel Di María and Enzo Fernández. And in the 60th minute, an option arrived from Panama with a rainy pass that found Alfred Stephens’ shot that went past Emiliano’s post. I drew it Martinez.

In the 70th minute, the clearance fell from Messi to Marcos Acuña, who required a providential save from Jiovany Ramos to prevent the visiting fence from falling. And a minute later, Messi himself found a precise cross, but his head went over the crossbar.

However, in the 77th minute, Messi once again hit the crossbar from a free kick, and Leandro Paredes first missed the rebound, and then Thiago Almada overcame the resistance of the Central American team with a cross. In the 80th minute, the captain tried again from a free kick, but the ball went wide. But the Argentinian public erupted with a thunderous “Messi, Messi” in support of the world star who started it again in the next minute, but Guerra stopped her shot.

In the 86th minute, Messi had the strength for a new slalom game and gave the ball to Lautaro Martínez, who shot, and Guerra was again in a good place to keep the ball. In the very next minute, Messi made it 2-0 with a free-kick in which he slotted the ball into the top left corner of Guerra, who could do nothing for the Argentine star to reach 800 career goals and 99 goals with the National. Team Argentina.

In this way, the curtain was closed and Argentina had time to crown their party the world champion in front of their audience with Messi fulfilling the goal of celebrating the 800th goal in his career. For the Albiceleste, the future means another friendly next Tuesday against Curaçao at the Estadio Madre de Ciudades De Santiago del Estero, while Panama will face Costa Rica on day six of the Concacafa Nations League.