In front of a crowd of more than 50,000 adoring fans, Messi nearly notched a rapid second but lashed into the side netting from a tight angle. theSun thesundaily LionelMessi Argentina Australia Beijing China
Argentina’s Lionel Messi fights for the ball during a friendly football match against Australia at the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing on June 15, 2023/AFPPix: Lionel Messi scored the quickest goal of his career as he guided Argentina to a 2-0 friendly win over Australia in Beijing on Thursday.
Australia weathered the early storm and nearly equalised when attacker Mitchell Duke forced Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to tip a close-range shot onto the post. Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez again stretched Ryan as Argentina saw out victory in the sultry summer heat. Thousands greeted the Argentina captain’s every touch with roars of anticipation that built to a crescendo when he put his team into their quick-fire lead.
“Today the stadium looked like we were playing in Argentina,“ said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni of the partisan crowd. The global superstar has kept a low profile in the Chinese capital, save for some commercial engagements in which he confirmed the 2022 World Cup was probably his last.
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