Argentina completed their final World Cup preparation match with a commanding 3-0 victory over Iceland in Auburn, Alabama. Captain Lionel Messi came off the bench to score and inspire the reigning world champions to a confident win ahead of their World Cup campaign. Iceland missed an early chance, but Argentina took control when Valentin Barco opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the eighth minute.

Recovering from a muscle injury, Messi was initially rested by coach Lionel Scaloni but made an immediate impact after entering in the second half. His precise pass led to a penalty earned by Lautaro Martínez, which Messi converted to double the lead. Later, Thiago Almada sealed the result with a third goal following a well-coordinated attack involving Messi and Martínez.

Having also won their previous warm-up match against Honduras, Argentina now head into the World Cup with back-to-back victories. Scaloni’s team will face Algeria in their opening match of the tournament.