Messi bags brace as Argentina gets 3-0 victory over Venezuela

Lionel Messi scored his 113th and 114th Argentina goals as the long-qualified Albiceleste put another dent in Venezuela’s hopes to reach 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win on Thursday.

Lionel Messi was emotional during the warm-up session of the match against Venezuela as this could be his last World Cup qualifier on home soil.

The reigning World Cup champion, have already qualified for next year’s tournament in North America, controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, creating chances through Nicolas Tagliafico and Franco Mastantuono only to be thwarted by Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo.

Messi broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, the Argentine captain latching onto a pass from Julian Alvarez on a swift counterattack and firing home into the top-right corner of Romo’s net.

Argentina maintained its relentless pressure in the second half, with Messi remaining the focal point of its attack, but the host had to wait until the 76th minute for a second goal, Nico Gonzalez delivering from the left for Lautaro Martinez to score with a diving header.

Four minutes later, Messi capped off another excellent performance with a third goal, assisted by Thiago Almada.

The Albiceleste top the South American qualifying table for the 2026 World Cup in North America with 38 points and visit Ecuador on Tuesday in their final group match.

Venezuela will look to keep their qualifying hopes alive when they host Colombia.

Source: sportsstar