In the 82nd minute, Lionel Messi received a pass from Lautaro Martinez before firing a decisive shot into the far corner, giving the home team's goalkeeper no chance to block it. El Pulga has scored more than 800 goals in his career, but this was the first time he has conceded against an opponent in Africa.
The Argentine superstar currently has a total of 895 goals and 401 assists. The Argentina captain is getting close to an unbelievable milestone - contributing to 1,300 goals in his career.
Overall, Angola had an effortsful performance and caused many difficulties for the 2022 World Cup champion. The FIFA-ranked team entered the match enthusiastically and almost created a surprise. Chico Banza rushed down to face Geronimo Rulli, but the Argentine goalkeeper reacted in time to save the goal.
In the 19th minute, Messi seemed to open the scoring after a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Hugo Marques made an excellent save.
In the following minutes, Angola played disciplined and pressed strongly, causing Argentina to face many deadlocks. Messi once again missed the opportunity when he missed a posture.
It seemed that the first half would end without a goal, but the class of the away team spoke up. In the 43rd minute, Messi made a delicate pass to Lautaro Martinez, and the Inter Milan striker fired a low shot through the legs of goalkeeper Marques, opening the score for Albiceleste.
Despite being behind, Angola did not lose their spirit. They even got closer to the equalizer when Zito Luvumbo escaped and shot off the post, much to the regret of the home crowd.
However, Argentina still knew how to end the match on time. In the 82nd minute, Messi took advantage of the opponent's defense's mistake to seal a 2-0 victory. At the same time, he has increased his scoring record to 20 in just his last 8 matches for both club and national team.
