Watch: Messi silences injury concerns with stunning penalty in Argentina's 3-0 win

Lionel Messi enactment immoderate lingering concerns astir his fittingness to remainder connected Tuesday, marking his instrumentality from wounded with a extremity arsenic Argentina defeated Iceland 3-0 successful their last warm-up lucifer earlier the FIFA World Cup 2026.The Argentina captain, who had been sidelined aft suffering musculus fatigue and a insignificant strain successful his near hamstring portion playing for Inter Miami connected May 24, was not risked from the start. Instead, caput manager Lionel Scaloni introduced the seasoned guardant successful the 70th infinitesimal arsenic Argentina looked to enactment the finishing touches connected their World Cup preparations.

Just 2 minutes aft entering the match, the 38-year-old stepped up to instrumentality a punishment aft Lautaro Martinez was brought down wrong the box.

Showing nary signs of discomfort, Messi confidently dispatched a almighty left-footed effort precocious into the nett to widen Argentina's lead.Watch:

The extremity was different milestone for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who remains Argentina's all-time starring scorer with 117 planetary goals. More importantly for the reigning satellite champions, it provided further grounds that their talisman is acceptable and acceptable for the biggest tourney successful football.

The quality besides carries added value arsenic Messi prepares for what volition beryllium his sixth FIFA World Cup. The Argentine icon, who turns 39 aboriginal this week, continues to play a cardinal relation for the nationalist squad astir 2 decades aft making his World Cup debut.Argentina caput into the tourney aiming to support the rubric they won successful Qatar successful 2022 and assertion a 4th World Cup crown overall, having antecedently triumphed successful 1978 and 1986.Their run volition statesman connected June 16 against Algeria successful Kansas City. Austria and Jordan implicit Group J.Tuesday's triumph besides offered a measurement of redemption against Iceland. The 2 nations past met astatine the 2018 World Cup, erstwhile Iceland earned a astonishment 1-1 gully and Messi missed a penalty. This time, however, the Argentine skipper made nary mistake from the spot arsenic helium capped a palmy instrumentality up of football's biggest stage.