Argentina Beats Angola 2-0 in Friendly Match

In Luanda, Angola, on Friday, Argentina secured a 2-0 victory over the hosts in an international friendly, with goals from Lautaro Martínez and Lionel Messi capping the reigning world champions' 2025 campaign.

Martínez opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, firing a low shot past the goalkeeper after a precise through ball from Messi. The Inter Milan forward later returned the favor in the 82nd minute, delivering a clever reverse pass that allowed Messi to slot home his 115th international goal in his 196th appearance for the national team. Argentina controlled much of the possession at 65 percent but started slowly against a physically strong Angola side that created several chances, including three close efforts from forward Zito Luvumbo.

The match, held at the 11 November Stadium to mark Angola's 50th anniversary of independence from Portugal, drew more than 50,000 spectators. Reports indicate Angola paid $1.2 million to host the world champions. Argentina fielded a strong lineup featuring eight starters from their 2022 World Cup-winning final, while coach Lionel Scaloni also gave debuts to Joaquin Panichelli, Gianluca Prestianni, and Kevin Mac Allister amid several absences...