Messi Scores as Argentina Beat Benin 3-0 in Monumental Friendly

Argentina closed the FIFA international window with a 3-0 home win over Benin at the Monumental Stadium, turning a tight first half into a controlled victory after the interval. Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Paz and Lionel Messi scored as Lionel Scaloni’s world champions extended a formidable record in friendly internationals.

What changed for Argentina

Benin kept Argentina scoreless before the break, limiting the hosts’ room despite Argentina controlling possession in front of a full Buenos Aires crowd. The breakthrough came soon after half-time, when veteran defender Otamendi headed Argentina in front.

Substitute midfielder Paz quickly increased the advantage with a finish from inside the area. Messi then completed the scoring late in the game, converting to secure a three-goal margin and round off an emotional evening for the home support.

• Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring with a header.
• Nicolás Paz came off the bench to make it 2-0.
• Lionel Messi added Argentina’s third goal late on.

Competition context

The result took Argentina’s friendly winning sequence to 22 matches. That run began with a 5-0 victory against Estonia in June 2022 and has now continued for more than four years under Scaloni.

Across those 22 exhibition wins, Argentina have scored 75 times and conceded only three goals. They have recorded clean sheets against 19 opponents, with Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mauritania the only sides to find the net against them in that span.

Argentina have also gone unbeaten in 28 straight non-competitive fixtures, having not lost a friendly since 2019. The win over Benin maintained their flawless recent exhibition record while again underlining the consistency of Scaloni’s squad between competitive windows.

What is scheduled next

Argentina’s next focus will be the return of competitive qualifying matches. Scaloni’s side will aim to carry the momentum from the Benin victory, and their long unbeaten friendly run, into those fixtures when the international calendar resumes.