The Argentina National Team had an easy time against Puerto Rico. On a night marked by the return of Lionel Messi, after his absences against Ecuador and Venezuela, as well as several new faces, the team led by Lionel Scaloni crushed the Caribbean team 6-0 in the last friendly of the October FIFA window.
La Albiceleste started the match at full throttle, with a clear dominance over the Puerto Rican side. However, the latter were the first to threaten with a shot from behind midfield that Dibu Martínez barely managed to save.
After the initial surprise, the national team reacted quickly with a goal from Alexis Mac Allister in the 14th minute after a scissor kick by Nico González, which came from a rebound off a dangerous Messi shot that hit the crossbar.
With more offensive pressure than at the start of the match, Argentina gave Puerto Rico no respite, which held off the Argentine attacks as best it could. However, spaces in the compact Caribbean defense began to appear and La Albiceleste took advantage to increase the lead in the 23rd minute, thanks to Gonzalo Montiel's foot after an assist from Messi.
With total control of the game, the world champion kept pressing and managed to score the third goal of the night in the 36th minute. Mac Allister blasted past goalkeeper Cutler after the debutant "Flaco" López set him up in the middle of the box.
Near the end of the first half, the Puerto Ricans had two clear chances that forced Dibu Martínez to work, first with a shot from outside the box by captain Leandro Antonetti and then with a free kick by Wilfredo Rivera.
For the second half, Scaloni made changes to give playing time to other debutants: Aníbal Moreno and Lautaro Rivero for Giovanni Lo Celso and Nicolás Otamendi, respectively. With the match under control at the start of the second half, the coach kept testing options, first bringing on Nico Paz in place of Giulano Simeone and minutes later Lautaro Martínez and Nahuel Molina for Flaco López and Gonzalo Montiel.
Right after these last changes, in the 64th minute, Moreno unleashed a powerful shot that Puerto Rican defender Steven Echevarría deflected, scoring an own goal for Argentina's 4-0.
Despite facing a completely adverse result and suffering Argentina's constant attacks, Puerto Rico kept making more offensive changes. Meanwhile, Scaloni decided to take off Dibu Martínez to give Facundo Cambeses his debut, Racing's goalkeeper who received his first draft.
With the number of attacks Argentina was making, the fifth goal was inevitable: Lautaro Martínez scored in the 79th minute to make it 5-0 after an assist from Nicolás González.
Just 5 minutes later, "Toro" completed his brace thanks to Messi's classy assist, his second of the match, in the middle of the Puerto Rican box, sealing the final 6-0.
After this resounding victory, La Albiceleste will play again in the next FIFA window in November. First, the team will travel to Luanda to face Angola at the Estadio 11 de Noviembre, with the date and time to be confirmed, but it will be between November 10 and 18. Then there will be a second friendly of which nothing is known at the moment, although everything seems to indicate that it will at least be played in India, with the opponent to be confirmed.
