Argentina secured a big 4-0 victory over Bolivia in their first appearance since losing the World Cup final last July.
Cristian Romero
Club: Atletico Madrid
The match was played at Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium, as Argentina continued their impressive form by securing their 15th win in their last 16 international matches.
This was the first of two friendly matches that Argentina will play before focusing on the anticipated clash against Benin on October 6, which will see Lionel Messi's final international appearance.
Lautaro Martinez did not need long to prove his worth as a starter in the post-Messi era, opening the scoring for Argentina in the 19th minute.
Before the match, Lionel Scaloni confirmed that no player would wear the number 10 shirt until after Messi's farewell game, amid speculation that Nico Paz is among the top candidates to succeed Argentina's captain in the future.
Before the half-hour mark, the Como player delivered a wonderful technical display, capitalizing on a through pass from Ezequiel Palacios and breaking clear towards goal before lifting the ball over Viscarra with style to score his second international goal in the 29th minute.
At the start of the second half, Paz turned provider, delivering a cross-field free kick that reached Cristian Romero in the 54th minute, Argentina's new captain, who headed it into the net after it struck the post.
That goal marked Paz's last contribution in the match, as Scaloni decided to substitute him as part of a triple change.
Argentina's rhythm was somewhat affected by the changes, but they maintained control and succeeded in adding a fourth goal in the dying minutes, scored by Flaco Lopez in the 86th minute, marking his first goal for the national team.
Lopez had scored a few minutes earlier, but it was disallowed for offside, before the substitute fought hard to win the ball inside the penalty area and put it into the net.
With this result, Argentina completed four consecutive victories over Bolivia without conceding a goal, while Bolivia suffered their fifth straight defeat and will try to halt their negative run in their next match against Gambia.
Only one match remains for Argentina before the highly anticipated night when the team bids farewell to Messi, following an illustrious international career filled with achievements and titles.
