Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring on his return from injury during Argentina's victory over Iceland.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored on his return from injury as the world champions defeated Iceland in a World Cup warm-up match, easing concerns over his fitness ahead of the tournament.
Messi started on the bench as coach Lionel Scaloni carefully managed his recovery after muscle fatigue forced him off during Inter Miami’s victory over Philadelphia on May 24.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner entered the match in the final quarter and made an immediate impact, scoring his 117th international goal on his 199th appearance for Argentina.
Scaloni named an experimental starting line-up, leaving several key players, including Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister, on the bench before introducing them later in the game.
Argentina took an early lead when defender Valentín Barco fired into the bottom corner after Iceland failed to clear a goalmouth scramble.
Iceland came close to opening the scoring, but Mikael Egill Ellertsson blasted over from a promising position.
Argentina created several chances to extend their lead, with Lautaro Martínez striking the post twice after coming on at half-time.
Messi’s introduction transformed the contest. His precise pass set up Martínez, who was brought down by Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson, leading to a penalty. Messi calmly converted the spot-kick to double Argentina’s advantage.
The 38-year-old was also involved in Argentina’s third goal, releasing Rodrigo De Paul, who squared the ball for Thiago Almada to finish from close range.
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The performance provided a timely boost for Argentina ahead of their World Cup title defence, with Messi showing no signs of discomfort during his influential cameo appearance.
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