Lionel Messi Scores First Goal on African Soil as Argentina Cruises to Victory Over Angola

Lionel Messi put on another masterful display, scoring his first goal on African soil, as Argentina cruised to a 2-0 victory over Angola in Luanda on Friday. The friendly, organized to commemorate 50 years of Angolan independence, saw the world champions dominate in front of a packed Estadio Nacional 11 de Novembro.

The standout feature of Argentina’s performance was the seamless partnership between Messi and Lautaro Martínez.

The Match Highlights

Argentina broke the deadlock just before halftime when Messi, finding space on the right, threaded a precise, defense-splitting pass to Martínez. The Inter forward finished cleanly for his 36th international goal, giving Argentina a deserved 1–0 lead.

The duo combined once more late in the game, this time with Martínez assisting Messi. Seven minutes from time, Martínez slid the ball to Messi inside the box, and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner calmly slotted a low finish into the far corner, marking his 115th goal for Argentina. Both stars were substituted shortly after, having already secured the win.

Significance for Both Nations

The match reportedly came with a $12 million appearance fee for Argentina and served as their only fixture of the international window, providing Lionel Scaloni’s squad with low-intensity preparation.

For the hosts, the game was a valuable test ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, where they will face Egypt, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in a challenging group.

While Argentina were heavy favorites—ranked second in the world, 87 places above Angola—the fixture carried immense symbolic importance for the hosts. Argentina continues its dominant 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, having topped South America with 38 points from 18 matches. Angola continues its pursuit of a return to the global stage, having only made one previous World Cup appearance in 2006.

Messi’s Goal:

Source: Africa Publicity

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