Four days before Lionel Messi’s farewell match, Argentina beat Burkina Faso 7–0 – although the visitors only arrived in Buenos Aires five hours before kick-off, with numerous first-team players missing due to flight problems. Lionel Scaloni nevertheless praised the Africans highly: “They are a credit to the game.”
Four days before Lionel Messi’s farewell match, the Argentine national team celebrated a goal-fest under extraordinary circumstances. The World Cup runners-up beat Burkina Faso, who only arrived in Buenos Aires five hours before kick-off, 7–0. The goals at the Monumental Stadium were scored by Lautaro Martínez (4’), Gianluca Prestianni (12’), Nico Paz (35’), Julian Alvarez (36’), Franco Mastantuono (57’) and Guiliano Simeone (90’+3), whilst Moumoune Diallo (8’) scored an own goal.
The match was clearly affected by the African side’s travel difficulties. The Burkina Faso team, ranked 62nd in the FIFA World Rankings, only reached Argentina after a considerable delay, following the cancellation of their scheduled charter flight from Morocco due to technical problems. Several experienced players subsequently decided not to travel on to Buenos Aires, citing fatigue, and the team that took to the pitch there consisted mainly of young players.
Scaloni thanks the players who endured the hardships
Despite the difficult circumstances, Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni praised the visitors for making the match possible in the first place. “I would like to sincerely thank those from Burkina Faso who made the journey,” he said. “I don’t know what problems the other players had, but we appreciate the efforts of those who did come. They do football proud, and we tried to play this match as if it were a final. Because that is the only way to show these players the respect they deserve.”
Scaloni was very pleased with the first half; in the second half, he gave the younger players some playing time and said afterwards: “Well, we have to give them time to settle in. But overall, we achieved our objective.”
Messi, who arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday and did not feature against Burkina Faso, will play his 208th and final international match for Argentina on Tuesday against Benin. “It will be an unforgettable day for everyone. I’m grateful to be part of it,” said Scaloni.
