Texas, Jun 07 (V7N) – Defending world champions Argentina began their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras in an international friendly played in the United States.
The match was held at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Sunday morning Bangladesh time, where goals from Lautaro Martínez and Giuliano Simeone secured the win for the Albiceleste.
Despite strong support from thousands of Argentine fans in attendance, team captain Lionel Messi did not feature in the match. The 38-year-old forward remained on the bench throughout the game as he continues to recover from muscle fatigue.
Argentina took the lead in the 37th minute when Lautaro Martínez converted a penalty after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down inside the box. The goal gave Lionel Scaloni's side a deserved advantage heading into halftime.
Shortly after the restart, Argentina doubled their lead. In the 51st minute, Atlético Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone finished from close range after receiving an excellent backheel pass from Martínez, putting the match beyond Honduras' reach.
Following the second goal, coach Lionel Scaloni made several substitutions to assess different tactical options ahead of the World Cup. However, Messi was not introduced as the coaching staff opted not to risk aggravating his condition.
The Argentine captain suffered a minor injury during his last appearance for Inter Miami on May 25 and has been under close medical observation since then.
Before the match, Scaloni said Messi's condition had improved significantly and that he had already taken part in partial training sessions with the squad. Nevertheless, team officials decided to continue managing his workload carefully.
Argentina will play one final warm-up match against Iceland on June 9 before opening their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16.
The defending champions have been drawn into Group J, where they will also face Austria and Jordan as they begin their quest to retain the world title.
END/SMA/AJ
