Argentina built a dominant 5-0 halftime lead over Burkina Faso on Saturday night in an International Friendly at Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires, with Lionel Messi watching from outside the matchday squad as he rests ahead of his farewell appearance for the national team. The lopsided first half came against a Burkina Faso side that traveled to Argentina severely understrength after a chaotic buildup.
Argentina Overwhelms a Short-Handed Burkina Faso
Argentina produced 15 attempts and 10 shots on target in the opening 45 minutes, putting on a show at the Estadio Monumental. Burkina Faso goalkeeper Guira Razak made one save but was otherwise overwhelmed by the hosts' relentless pressure.
The World Cup runners-up were completely overwhelming Burkina Faso's U-23 side for most of the half, a gap in class that was evident from the opening whistle at the Buenos Aires stadium.
Goal-by-Goal Breakdown
Julián Álvarez opened the scoring early before Burkina Faso conceded an own goal to fall further behind. Gianluca Prestianni then scored Argentina's third after a brilliant combination down the left with Lautaro Martínez, with the Inter Milan striker setting up the Benfica forward for what was Prestianni's first senior international goal.
Nico Paz made it 4-0 after the ball rebounded off the goalkeeper, allowing him to follow up with a finish through the keeper's legs. Álvarez then completed his brace, tapping home the fifth goal after Prestianni cut the ball back from the left.
Why Lionel Messi Was Left Out
Lionel Messi did not take the pitch for Argentina in this match, with head coach Lionel Scaloni opting to exclude the captain from the matchday squad entirely, leaving him off both the starting lineup and the bench.
The decision is tied directly to Messi's retirement from the Argentine national team, with the forward also skipping the second match of this window so he can be fresh for his farewell appearance. Messi is set to return only for his official farewell against Benin on Oct. 6.
This friendly followed Argentina's previous outing against Bolivia, which the team also won convincingly without Messi in the lineup as Scaloni continues to rotate his squad during this international friendly window.
Burkina Faso's Chaotic Build-Up
Burkina Faso's trip to Buenos Aires was thrown into doubt after the charter flight scheduled to depart from Morocco, where the team had just played two Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches, was canceled.
The Burkina Faso federation said officials worked to find a solution to get the delegation to Buenos Aires, though travel-time constraints raised concerns among the players. The disruption and a subsequent player protest ultimately meant almost all of Burkina Faso's senior squad did not travel, leaving the team to field a side consisting mainly of U-23 players against one of the sport's most decorated national teams.
Burkina Faso had been coming off a run of AFCON qualifying matches in Morocco, and the scramble to reorganize travel left the Stallions with little preparation time for a trip to face the reigning World Cup finalists.
What Comes Next for Argentina
Scaloni's side returned to action in this window after a commanding 4-0 victory over Bolivia, continuing a stretch of matches designed to test depth across the squad following the World Cup final loss to Spain.
The Farewell Match Awaits
The captain will return exclusively for the match against Benin, chosen as his official farewell with Argentina, bringing a historic international career to a close. Following this fixture, the 2022 World Cup winners will take on Benin, which will also serve as Messi's farewell match for Argentina.
For now, attention remains on the second half in Buenos Aires, where Argentina's rotated lineup looks to add to a first-half tally that already put the result beyond reasonable doubt against a Burkina Faso side forced into an emergency reshuffle just to make it to the stadium.