Argentina 3-1 Costa Rica

Angel Di Maria, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martinez rescued Argentina on Tuesday as the world champions came from behind to beat Costa Rica 3-1 in an international friendly in Los Angeles. (26 Mar 2023)

Argentina 3-0 El Salvador

Argentina began preparations for their Copa America defence with a convincing 3-0 win against El Salvador on Friday.

The 2021 champions were without captain Lionel Messi due to injury but prevailed at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia thanks to goals from Cristian Romero, Enzo Fernández and Giovani Lo Celso. (22 Mar 2023)

Brazil 0-1 Argentina

Nicolas Otamendi scored with a towering header to give Argentina a 1-0 away win over Brazil in a bad-tempered World Cup qualifier that was delayed by half an hour on Tuesday after police clashed with fans at Maracanã Stadium.

Locals and Argentinian fans started fighting during the playing of the national anthems before the match prompting the Brazilian police to charge the visiting contingent, who responded by ripping up and throwing seats at the officers. Fans near the trouble panicked and came onto the pitch to escape the fighting. At least one injured fan was taken from the stadium on a stretcher.

The Argentina team, led by captain Lionel Messi, went over to the terraces to try and calm the situation before leaving the pitch and returning to the dressing room. The world champion Argentina team eventually returned once the police had corralled the travelling fans in a pen and the match between South America’s fiercest footballing rivals started after a delay of about 30 minutes.

Defender Otamendi scored from a Giovani Lo Celso corner in the 63rd minute with Argentina’s only shot on target and Brazil’s misery was compounded when midfielder Joelinton was sent off for hitting Rodrigo de Paul in the face in the 82nd minute.

The world champions handed their fiercest rivals a third consecutive loss as Brazil came into the match having conceded back-to-back defeats in World Cup qualifiers for the first time in their history. It was also Brazil’s first ever home loss in a World Cup qualifier. Argentina top the standings on 15 points with Brazil eight points behind in sixth place, the last spot that guarantees a berth at the 2026 finals. (21 Nov 2023)

Argentina 0-2 Uruguay

Argentina’s national team fell to Uruguay (0-2), ending a 14-match unbeaten streak. In the match, Lionel Messi himself stated that they never managed to come together to harm Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

With goals from Ronald Araújo (40′) and Darwin Núñez (87′), La Celeste achieved a historic double, having previously defeated Brazil by the same score at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.

In this manner, Argentina conceded its unbeaten record in 2023 and lost the invincibility of its goal. (16 Nov 2023)

Peru 0-2 Argentina

Lionel Messi proved he is back to full fitness after scoring both goals in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Messi made his return to a starting lineup after being sidelined or coming from the bench for the last four weeks due to a muscle problem. His last start before facing Peru in Lima was with Inter Miami against Toronto FC on Sept. 20.

The 36-year-old put the world champions ahead in the 32nd minute with a superb shot after an assist from Nicolas Gonzalez, and made it 2-0 10 minutes later with a fierce finish from Enzo Fernandez’s pass.(17 Oct 2023)

Argentina 1-0 Paraguay

Argentina completely dominated Paraguay from start to finish, both with and without Lionel Messi, and picked up three points in the process, although it was a bit more nervy than they would have liked at the end.

With Argentina pummeling their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying opponents in Buenos Aires from the opening whistle, Nicolas Otamendi’s fourth-minute goal seemed to foreshadow a coming onslaught. Yet that was all Argentina would get, and while it was enough for a 1-0 victory, they could have had many, many more.

Lionel Messi came off the bench shortly after halftime, but even he was powerless to change the narrative, hitting the post twice including once directly off a corner. (12 Oct 2023)

Bolivia 0-3 Argentina

No Lionel Messi, no problem for Argentina in the rugged altitude of La Paz.

With the superstar rested for the match, not amongst the 18-man squad, the defending World Cup champions eased to a 2-0 victory over Bolivia on the road, in one of the most unique and difficult venues across CONMEBOL.

Enzo Fernandez was spectacular across the first half, and grabbed the opening goal in the process, while Nicolas Tagliafico doubled the lead just before the break.

That was all Argentina needed, but they were given a further boost as Ricardo Fernandez produced an ugly challenge on Cristian Romero to earn a sending off and leave Bolivia a man down for the entirety of the second half.

After the break, with a two-goal lead and a man advantage, Argentina completely snuffed the life out of the match in the second half, resting in possession and leaving both sides content to keep the match right where it was. Bolivia were poor throughout, as the fans rained down boos upon their nation’s side as they put simple passes out of play under no pressure.

Eventually, Nico Gonzalez would put the game away with Argentina’s third, and the visitors flew home with all three points. With Messi sitting out, Alejandro Garnacho found a way onto the pitch in the final minutes, which notably cap-tied him to the Albiceleste, still holding eligibility for Spain until his appearance in La Paz. (12 Sep 2023)

Argentina 1-0 Ecuador

Lionel Messi may be 36 years old, but at this stage of his career, the Inter Miami hero feels more inevitable than ever.

No matter what shirt he wears, no matter who lines up alongside or opposite him, no matter who stands between the posts, Messi finds a way to deposit the ball in the back of the net.

A 78th-minute free-kick goal from the Argentinian legend sent the defending FIFA World Cup champions through to victory, opening 2026 qualifying with a 1-0 win over Ecuador in Buenos Aires. The goal put Messi on the scoresheet for an eighth straight international match, and gave Argentina all three points to begin the expanded World Cup cycle. (7 Sep 2023)

Indonesia 0-2 Argentina

Argentina struggled to create chances without Lionel Messi in the team as it labored to a 2-0 win over Indonesia in a friendly on Monday, with both goals coming from defensive-minded players.

Holding midfielder Leandro Paredes scored a long-range opener in the first half just as the team was growing frustrated at its inability to break down a team ranked 149th in the world. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero added the second soon after the break. (19 Jun 2023)

Argentina 2-0 Australia

Lionel Messi orchestrated another victory for world champions Argentina, as he scored the opening goal of a 2-0 win over a resilient Australia in Beijing.

It took him only two minutes to score the opening goal of the friendly match – the fastest goal of his career – with a wonderful curling effort past Maty Ryan.

Both sides created chances in an even match, but Argentina doubled their advantage when an onrushing German Pezzella emphatically headed home a Rodrigo De Paul cross after some sloppy marking from the Socceroos. (15 Jun 2023)