Lionel Messi marked his return from injury with a goal as Argentina secured a 3-0 victory over Iceland on Tuesday in their final warm-up match before the World Cup.
The Argentina captain started on the bench after recovering from muscle fatigue and a minor hamstring strain sustained during his last appearance for Inter Miami on 24 May. He was introduced in the 70th minute and made an immediate impact.
Just two minutes after coming on, Lionel Messi converted a penalty after Lautaro Martínez was brought down inside the area. The 38-year-old sent a powerful left-footed effort high into the net to complete the scoring and seal Argentina's comfortable win.
The goal was another milestone for the forward, who remains Argentina's all-time leading scorer with 117 international goals. He is also preparing for a record sixth World Cup appearance, extending a career that has already included triumphs at the 2022 World Cup and multiple major international tournaments.
Argentina head into the competition as defending champions, having previously lifted football's biggest prize in 1978, 1986 and 2022. The victory over Iceland provided a positive conclusion to their preparations and offered further encouragement regarding Messi's fitness ahead of the tournament.
Lionel Scaloni's side will begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria in Kansas City on 16 June. They will also face Austria and Jordan in Group J as they seek to retain the title won four years ago.
The match was only the second meeting between Argentina and Iceland. Their first encounter came at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when the teams played out a 1-1 draw. On that occasion, Messi missed a penalty as Iceland earned one of the most memorable results in their football history.
This time, however, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner made no mistake from the spot, providing a timely reminder of his importance as Argentina prepare to begin another World Cup challenge.
