Football: Argentina beats Curaçao 7-0 in friendly

Messi: “I hope this madness never ends”

Argentina’s national football team beat Curaçao 7-0 last night in a match in the Madre de Ciudades Stadium in Santiago del Estero. It was the team’s second friendly match after winning the World Cup against France in December 2022. 

Unlike last week’s friendly against Panama, when the team didn’t score until the second half, La Scaloneta started out strong: Messi scored his first goal seconds before minute 20. By halftime, Argentina was 5-0 up. 

“What a beautiful closure of these matches,” said Messi on Instagram. “I hope we can keep sharing many moments like these, and I hope this madness never ends!”. 

The seven goals were scored by Messi (3), Nicolás González, Ángel di María, Enzo Fernández, and Gonzalo Montiel.

Last night’s game was the first match Giovanni Lo Celso played after an injury left him out of the Qatar World Cup. “Wearing Argentina’s shirt again was very meaningful to me,” he told TyC Sports. “Enjoying it with my teammates after so long was a celebration for all of us.”

The national team will play together again in June in a game to be organized by FIFA, although their opponent has yet to be announced. In a press conference last night, coach Lionel Scaloni said he expects their rival to be from an American or Asian country. 

Ramiro Griffith, Curaçao’s football federation president, said during a TV interview earlier in March that they got “goosebumps” when the Argentine Football Association invited them to play. “We thought it was fake news”, he said.

Curaçao is a Caribbean island nation off the coast of Venezuela with a population of around 155,000.

“It is an honor for us all that a country like ours can get this opportunity,” he said.

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