Those eyes of Lionel Messi shine all the time, feel and observe every detail. While emotions run through it with total intensity, those genius eyes try to abstract so as not to miss anything that happens to him and everything around him happens in the Monumental, in a stadium full of 85,000 people willing to worship him in his last official dance in Argentina. He had announced that it would be a special night. And he lives it.
After touring the previous warming in the field with excited look and at times squeezing his lips as if he did not want to break (although some tear he escapes), after living the official exit and listening to the Argentine anthem with his three children drawing those same gestures, Messi plays ball as a lifetime. Play as Messi. He hooks with the game, with his last game for the points in his country.
Then, Argentina draws an overwhelming conceptual superiority in the construction and search, before a Venezuela that chooses to wait and fight. The world champion requires goalkeeper Rafael Romo with beautiful shots by Julián Álvarez and Messi. It does not generate too many goal situations, but hits a shout near the close of the first half. And zero to zero breaks the genius.
Messi scored two goals against Venezuela
Leandro Paredes anticipates pure presence, advances and puts a sensual opening, with the outer face of the right foot, for the lonely entry of Julián, who does not rush, hooks towards the environment and plays for Leo. And Messi, who comes from the front, looks at the action with those same eyes that a while before were trapped by emotion and decides with total coldness: like the goalkeeper and a defender they block the low auction, the pica with a unique class. And it is goal although two other rivals seek to clear it up. A good goal from Messi. I could not miss on such a unique day.
Thus Argentina begins to beat Venezuela, in a match that will also be marked by the debut as head of Franco Mastantuono, who in his 62 minutes in the field slides on that grass that he knows so well with the same naturalness that he did a few days ago in his premiere in Real Madrid, asking for each ball but without dazzling, fulfilling.
Julián Álvarez, one of the best albicelestes, is the centrodlantero. Behind him, on the right Mastantuono, Messi by the middle and Thiago Almada on the left, the three backed by a double containment configured by Rodrigo de Paul and Paredes.
Lautaro also ‘wet’ against Venezuela
As Venezuela does not risk and never disarms its 5-4-1 thinking about avoiding a win rather than going for the draw, the second half bores because the result never doubts. Messi lifts it with a hand in hand that covers him romo, with a colossal turn, with a pass that leaves only Nicolás González (replacement for Mastantuono) before an archer who saves Venezuela again. Thiago Almada collaborates with a very diverted right from an optimal position.
There are changes. Lautaro Martínez and Exequiel Palacios also enter. Then Giuliano Simeone and Nico Paz enter. But it is Messi’s night. And Leo escapes again from his emotions. Then, in a free kick, while all Venezuelans get distracted, he looks around, thinks and runs quickly for the Nico González pique, who sends a precise center back, ideal for Lautaro to the second head. And there just, Almada overflows, another pass back and 10 pushes it to 3-0. And they cancel another by advanced position.
Technical file
3 – Argentina: Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina (M.80, Giuliano Simeone), Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes (m.73, Exequiel Palacios), Rodrigo de Paul; Thiago Almada (m.80, Nicolás Paz), Franco Mastantuono (m.62, Nicolás González), Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez (m.73, Lautaro Martínez).
Coacator: Lionel Scaloni.
0 – Venezuela: Rafael Romo; Jon Aramburu, Nahuel Ferraresi, Wilker Ángel, Christian Makoun, Miguel Navarro (m.55, Yeferson Soteldo); Cristian Casseres, Tomás Rincón (m.45, Jorge Yriarte); Eduard Bello, Jefferson Savarino (m.65, Leonardo Flores) and Solomon Rondón (m.55, Josef Martínez).
Coacator: Fernando Batista.
Goals: 1-0, Lionel Messi (m. 39); 2-0, Lautaro Martínez (m. 75); 3-0, Lionel Messi (m. 79)
Referee: Chilean Piero Maza admonished Cáseres and Aramburu in Venezuela and Romero in Argentina.
Incidents: Party of the seventeenth day of the South American Qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup played at the Monumental Stadium, in Buenos Aires.
“… that by the hand of Leo Messi all the return we will take …”, Draw the monumental once the 3-0 is sealed. The genius listens, but also looks, looks and keeps looking. “Messi, Messi, Messi,” shouts the crowd while 10 talks to television in full playing field. And Messi goes to the locker room. He will no longer play for the points in Argentina. The first chapter of the farewell passed. We will have to start assimilating it.
