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Lionel Messi Scores on Return as Argentina Defeats Iceland 3-0 in World Cup Warm-Up

Posted : 10 June 2026

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni delighted supporters at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, by bringing on captain Lionel Messi during the second half of a 3-0 friendly victory over Iceland.

Making his return after recovering from muscle fatigue, Messi entered the match in the 70th minute and quickly made an impact. The Argentine star converted a penalty shortly after coming on, adding another milestone to his remarkable career. The goal was his 911th across club and international football and his 117th for Argentina, while also making him the oldest player to score for the national team.

Messi's appearance provided a positive boost for Argentina as the reigning world champions continue preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The forward had joined the national team camp last week after dealing with muscle fatigue in his left hamstring, an issue that forced him to leave an Inter Miami CF match against the Philadelphia Union before the international break.

Medical assessments initially indicated that Messi's recovery would be monitored on a daily basis. Ahead of the Iceland match, Scaloni revealed that the veteran forward had resumed partial training with the squad and stressed that player minutes would be carefully managed to reduce injury risks.

Argentina had already taken control of the match before Messi's introduction. Ezequiel Barco opened the scoring in the first half, and after Messi's successful penalty, Thiago Almada added a third goal to complete the victory.

The win marked Argentina's second consecutive friendly triumph as the team fine-tunes preparations for its World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16. Messi had not featured in Argentina's previous warm-up match, a victory over Honduras.

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