Lionel Messi found the net just minutes into his return from an injury scare as Argentina defeated Iceland 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up match in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner started on the bench as Lionel Scaloni eased him back to full fitness after he was forced off Inter Miami’s 6-4 win over Philadelphia on May 24 with muscle fatigue.
Messi was joined among the substitutes by Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister, as Scaloni named a heavily rotated side in front of an 88,000-capacity crowd.
Set to play in his sixth World Cup, Messi eased fears over his fitness with a sharp 20-minute cameo that underlined his readiness for the tournament.
Argentina will begin their World Cup defence against Algeria on June 16 before also facing Austria and Jordan in Group J.
Iceland came close to striking first early on when Mikael Egill Ellertsson blasted over with the goal at his mercy.
However, it was the reigning three-time world champions who opened the scoring soon after.
Following a scramble inside the box, Iceland failed to clear their lines, and the loose ball fell to Strasbourg defender Valentin Barco, who drilled a low effort into the bottom corner.
Nico Paz was unable to capitalise on his opportunity to impress in Messi’s absence, spurning a golden chance to double the lead before half-time after his fierce strike was saved by the face of Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.
At the break, Fernández and Mac Allister were introduced as part of five Argentine substitutions.
Lautaro Martínez also came on and struck the woodwork twice, missing chances to extend Argentina’s advantage.
The crowd had to wait until the final quarter of the match for Messi’s introduction.
Almost immediately, he made an impact, delivering a superb pass to Martínez, who was brought down by Olafsson after attempting to chip the ball wide.
Messi then made no mistake, scoring his 117th international goal in his 199th appearance.
He was involved again in Argentina’s third, slipping a pass to Rodrigo De Paul, who squared for Thiago Almada to finish into an empty net.
