Messi Scores 117th Argentina Goal Ahead World Cup Defence

Lionel Messi marked his return from an injury scare with a goal as Argentina defeated Iceland 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up match in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner began the game on the bench as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni carefully managed his return to full fitness.

Messi had raised concerns over his readiness for the tournament after he was withdrawn during Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia on May 24 due to muscle fatigue.

However, the Argentina captain eased those fears with an impressive 20-minute cameo, scoring his 117th international goal on his 199th appearance for the national team.

Scaloni named an experimental starting line-up for the friendly, with Messi joined on the bench by Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister.

The match was played before an 88,000-capacity crowd, many of whom had waited for Messi’s appearance in Argentina’s last test before the World Cup.

Argentina will begin the defence of their world title against Algeria on June 16 before facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.

Iceland had an early opportunity to take the lead when Mikael Egill Ellertsson found himself with a clear chance inside the opening minutes, but he blasted his effort over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Argentina punished Iceland’s missed chance shortly after, taking the lead through Valentin Barco.

The Iceland defence failed to properly clear a goalmouth scramble, allowing the Strasbourg defender to fire the loose ball into the bottom corner.

Nico Paz, given a chance to impress in Messi’s absence, came close to doubling Argentina’s lead before half-time.

His powerful strike was, however, kept out by Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson, who stopped the ball with his face.

Naija News observed that Scaloni made five changes at half-time, introducing Fernandez, Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez as Argentina increased the pressure after the break.

Martinez twice came close to extending the lead but was denied by the woodwork on both occasions.

The Inter Milan forward will feel he should have put the game beyond Iceland before Messi was introduced in the final quarter.

The crowd eventually got the moment it had been waiting for when Messi came on late in the game. His impact was immediate.

With his first involvement, Messi released a brilliant pass to Martinez, who was brought down by Olafsson after attempting to chip the ball wide.

Moments later, Messi made no mistake in front of goal, calmly slotting home to make it 2-0 and take his international tally to 117 goals.

The Argentina captain was involved again as the world champions scored their third goal.

Messi’s pass found Rodrigo De Paul, who squared the ball for Thiago Almada to tap in and complete the victory.

The performance will come as a major boost to Argentina ahead of their World Cup opener, with Messi showing sharpness and confidence after his recent injury scare.