The Argentine national team kicked off a new era with a rout. Without Lionel Messi on the roster, the Albiceleste defeated Bolivia 4-0 in Córdoba and made a strong impression in their first match following the captain’s retirement. Lautaro Martínez, Nicolás Paz, Cristian “Cuti” Romero, and José Manuel “Flaco” López scored the goals for Argentina, who quickly took control of the match.
The match also gave Lionel Scaloni the opportunity to begin testing new players for the future. Agustín Giay, Román Vega, Gianluca Prestianni, and Nico Paz started the game, while other young players saw action in the second half.
Argentina is already looking ahead, though there’s still one final chapter in Messi’s story with the Albiceleste.
Lautaro and Nico Paz lead the way for Argentina
Argentina came out with a clear offensive mindset. With the fullbacks pushed high up the field and Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez leading the attack, Scaloni’s team dominated possession and began to look for openings against a Bolivia side that dropped deep with several players.
The visitors’ resistance lasted until the 19th minute. Exequiel Palacios found an opening and sent a through ball that allowed Lautaro to position himself inside the box and fire a well-placed right-footed shot past Guillermo Viscarra.
The second goal came just 10 minutes later. Palacios was involved again, this time with a pass that left Nico Paz one-on-one with the Bolivian goalkeeper. The Como player delicately chipped the ball over Viscarra to make it 2-0.
Captain Cuti Romero starts the second half with a goal
Argentina didn’t let up after halftime. With Cristian Romero as captain, the team maintained control and quickly found the third goal. Nico Paz now stepped up as the provider, sending in a precise cross that the defender headed home to make it 3-0.
With the victory all but secured, Scaloni took the opportunity to shuffle his lineup and give playing time to several players looking to earn a spot in this new era. Among them were Leonardo Balerdi, Valentín Gómez, Santiago Simón, Ezequiel “Equi” Fernández, José Manuel López, and Leonel Flores.
“El Flaco” López seals the match
The night still had one more goal in store. In the 87th minute, a fine individual play by Leonel Flores resulted in a rebound that José Manuel “Flaco” López capitalized on to send the ball into the back of the net and seal the 4-0 victory. It was also a special moment for the forward, as he scored his first goal for the Argentine national team.
Argentina ended up winning convincingly and began its new era without Messi with a dominant offensive performance.
Messi still has one last farewell
Although Messi has already announced his retirement from the national team, he’ll still make one final appearance in the Albiceleste jersey. The star from Rosario is expected to play in the friendly against Benin on October 6, in what will be his official farewell to the national team. Before that match, Argentina will face Burkina Faso on October 3.
In the meantime, the rout of Bolivia offered a glimpse of an Argentina that is beginning to build its future with new faces, though several of the key players who have accompanied Messi remain an important part of the team.
“Messi is irreplaceable, but we’ll try to give it our all,” Lautaro Martínez summed up after the match—a statement that reflects the challenge now facing the Albiceleste.
