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    Argentina vs. Honduras result, score: Lionel Messi scores two goals as unbeaten streak reaches 34 matches

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    The World Cup can’t get here soon enough for Argentina and Lionel Messi, who registered their latest sensational performance in a 3-0 win over Honduras in front of an adoring partisan crowd at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

    Argentina’s 35-year-old captain Messi put on a show for the fans, playing all 90 minutes and having a hand in all three goals. Messi’s seeing-eye pass to Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez led to the opening tally by Lautaro Martinez. And then Messi scored a penalty and executed a sublime chip over the Honduras goalkeeper for Argentina’s third.

    It was a comprehensive victory from start to finish, as Argentina extended their unbeaten streak to 34 matches and counting since a 2019 Copa America semifinal loss to Brazil. Their next match will come against Jamaica on Tuesday at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

    Argentina showed why they are a legitimate threat to win it all in Qatar. Messi, Lautaro, and Papu Gomez showed fine chemistry in the first half. And the Albiceleste ended the match with Messi, Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez, and Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa at forward, chasing hard for more goals to end the match.

    The two-time World Cup champions were patient and knocked the ball around until they found their opening. They let the game come to them, playing with a confidence and assuredness that should have the other teams in World Cup Group C — Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia — concerned about their head-to-head matchup against the South American side beginning on November 22.

    MORE: Argentina’s schedule and opponents in World Cup Group C

    Lionel Messi is a man on a mission

    Lionel Messi lives to wear the Argentina jersey these days and he looks like he’s relishing every minute he gets with his national team. It means so much for him that he was hustling for goals in the final minutes of a 3-0 game against Honduras. Manager Lionel Scaloni would not dream of yanking him.

    He’s enjoying playing for Argentina. It’s no longer the burden it used to be to carry this team and lead it to a trophy. The Copa America victory in 2021 changed the dynamic once and for all. He plays a clear role and his team understands it. It’s similar to what he does these days for PSG: He finds pockets, dishes passes, and makes good decisions.

    Argentina play within themselves and they’re comfortable in their 4-3-3 system no matter who is playing. It’s looking like a well-oiled machine just two months from the World Cup and it’s not by luck or coincidence that they’ve gone 34 teams unbeaten. Under Scaloni, they’ve been consistently good and the numbers back it up.

    Argentina vs. Honduras final score

      1H 2H Final
    Argentina 2 1 3
    Honduras 0 0 0

    Goals:
    ARG — Lautaro Martinez (Alejandro Papu Gomez) — 16th min.
    ARG — Lionel Messi (penalty) — 47th+ min.
    ARG — Lionel Messi (Enzo Fernandez) — 69th+ min.

    Argentina vs. Honduras live updates, highlights from Miami friendly

    Final: Argentina 3, Honduras 0

    85th min.: Messi chance! The 35-year-old applies a flying scissors kick on a chipped ball sent to him over the top. He misses the target, but it’s impressive to see the legend still chasing a goal this late in a match that’s done and dusted.

    82nd min.: SUBS Honduras. Franklin Flores replaces left-back Omar Elvir, while center-forward Bryan Rochez is in for captain Romell Quioto.

    Seconds later Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez takes a shot from distance that rings the right post, but there was an offside on the play.

    76th min.: SUBS Honduras. Joseph Rosales and German Mejia enter the midfield for Kervin Arriaga and Hector Castellanos, who chased Messi everywhere. But Lionel still scored two goals and got a secondary assist on the first goal.

    71st min.: SUBS Argentina. Alexis Mac Allister replaces Rodrigo De Paul in midfield, and Angel Correa is on for Giovani Lo Celso.

    Correa will join Messi and Julian Alvarez in attack. Thiago Almada will move into midfield with Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez.

    69th min.: Goal Messi! Enzo Fernandez wins the ball and it falls in the path of Lionel Messi who chips the goalkeeper first time with his left foot. What a goal.

    65th min.: SUBS Argentina. German Pezzella and Leandro Paredes are out. Nehuen Perez and Enzo Fernandez are the replacements.

    62nd min.: SUB Honduras. Edwin Solano is in for Andy Najar. Just minutes later Solano has a head-to-head collision with Nicolas Tagliafico and they both need treatment.

    60th min.: Argentina chance! Luis Lopez with the stop on a shot by Julian Alvarez. The Man City man was busy trying to pass it to teammates before then, but he finally gets a shot off. Thiago Almada is getting involved plenty in his first minutes on the field.

    54th min.: SUB Argentina. Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada on for Papu Gomez. It comes after a chance for Honduras on a corner kick. The ball fell to Maldonado in the box, but he couldn’t get a shot off.

    48th min.: What a play by Honduras center-back Denil Maldonado to poke the ball away from Rodrigo De Paul, who looked like he was free on goal. It was a desperate, but effective tackle from behind.

    46th min.: SUBS. The second half is underway. Julian Alvarez is in for Lautaro Martinez, while Luis Palma comes on for Honduras winger Rigoberto Rivas.

    Halftime: Argentina 2, Honduras 0

    Halftime: It was all Argentina from the very start and they showed the swagger of a World Cup title challenger. They were not bothered by the fact that Honduras sat back. Instead, Argentina knocked it around and waited for their moment. Then Messi picked out Papu, who found Lautaro. Later, Messi knocked home a penalty. Not a bad half for Messi, who was man-marked.

    We’ll see who Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni brings on in the second half. He’s probably seen enough from Papu Gomez, who definitely deserves to be on the plane to Qatar. He’s a game-changer.

    47th+ min.: Goal Argentina! And Lionel Messi slots it home. It’s goal No. 87 in an Argentine jersey.

    46th+ min.: Penalty for Argentina! Marcelo Santos had his hands all over Giovani Lo Celso, who went down. Messi’s up to take it. Santos should’ve seen a second yellow card, but the referee spared him.

    43rd min.: And there’s the yellow card to Marcelo Santos of Honduras. He put in a late challenge on Argentina left back Nicolas Tagliafic, who found himself high up the field.

    39th min.: Yellow card to Deybi Flores of Honduras. He rammed into Lionel Messi, who grabbed his face, but he’s fine.

    It’s getting increasingly tense. Honduras right back Marcelo Santos also has a battle going on with Papu Gomez who’s positioned wide left. Both teams are unhappy with the challenges by the other.

    37th min.: Trick play! From the Honduras goalkeeper! Luis Lopez pulls off two dribbling moves on Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez in his own box. He got lucky on the second one and gets away with it.

    32nd min.: Honduras is managed by Argentine Diego Vazquez, who has words with Argentina midfielder Giovani Lo Celso after he took out Honduras forward Romell Quioto near the sideline. Tensions are rising between the two teams.

    27th min.: Lautaro Martinez is down. He’s in real pain and he’s grabbing his left shoulder after the Honduras ‘keeper came out to snag a set piece in the box. He nicked the Argentine forward with his knee. But Lautaro is back up.

    21st min.: Messi shot on goal. It’s Messi’s turn to have a crack and Luis Lopez goes down low to stop his hard shot. Argentina are looking sharp.

    16th min.: Goal Argentina! Papu Gomez makes a run in behind on the left and Messi find him, and the Sevilla man touches the ball toward the top of the six-yard box where Lautaro Martinez touches it home.

    13th min.: Interesting to see Honduras midfielder Castellanos essentially following Lionel Messi all over the field. He’s listed as a midfielder but he’s Messi’s shadow in this game.

    8th min.: Shot Argentina. It’s Rodrigo De Paul firing from distance and it misses wide right. But the Albiceleste have Honduras pinned in their own half, knocking the ball from side to side.

    You’d imagine this is just the type of match Argentina can expect against Saudi Arabia in Group C at the World Cup.

    3rd min.: Argentina chance! Papu Gomez steals the ball as Honduras try to play out of the back. He fires from the top of the box and nips the top of the bar.

    1st min.: Argentina kick us off in their dark kits. Honduras in white.

    5 mins from kickoff: Teams are lined up and ready for the anthems. “Argentina” chants emerge from the crowd, but it’s La “H” that goes first.

    15 mins from kickoff: It’s pretty clear who is the home team at Hard Rock Stadium.

    60 mins from kickoff: There’s 35-year-old Lionel Messi starting another game for Argentina. There is no stopping him from continuing this magical unbeaten run into the 2022 World Cup.

    Argentina vs. Honduras lineups

    There will be two new faces in the 4-3-3 that manager Lionel Scaloni typically employs. Geronimo Rulli will get a chance at goalkeeper, while Papu Gomez will play on the wing in lieu of veteran Angel Di Maria.

    Nicolas Otamendi, Joaquin Correa, Marcos Acuna, and Paulo Dybala were left off the matchday roster and presumably will see time on Tuesday in New Jersey. Also, Tottenham center-back Cristian Romero only just received his visa to travel to the USA and is on his way to join the team in advance of the match against Jamaica. 

    Argentina starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 12-Geronimo Rulli (GK) — 21-Nahuel Molina, 6-German Pezzella, 2-Lisandro Martinez, 3-Nicolas Tagliafico — 7-Rodrigo De Paul, 5-Leandro Paredes, 20-Giovani Lo Celso — 10-Lionel Messi (capt.), 22-Lautaro Martinez, 17-Alejandro ‘Papu Gomez,

    Argentina subs (12): 23-Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez (GK), 1-Franco Armani (GK), 4-Gonzalo Montiel, 13-Nehuen Perez, 19-Facundo Medina, 18-Guido Rodriguez, 14-Enzo Fernandez, 15-Alexis Mac Allister, 8-Thiago Almada, 11-Angel Di Maria, 9-Julian Alvarez, 16-Angel Correa

    Honduras manager Diego Vazquez summoned 23 players, including Rigoberto Rivas and Andy Najar, who haven’t been called up since September 2021. Absent from the list are big names like Alberth Elis, Antony “Choco” Lozano and Edwin Rodríguez. The first two are suffering from injury, while Rodriguez only recently signed with Aris in Greece and is taking time to settle in.

    This is the first senior call-up for Clayvin Zuniga and Carlos “Chapetilla” Mejia. Marcelo Pereira was a late scratch. 

    Honduras starting lineup (4-5-1, right to left): 22-Luis ‘Buba’ Lopez (GK) — 2-Marcelo Santos, 15-Denil Maldonado, 3-Carlos Melendez, 19-Omar Elvir — 14-Andy Najar, 5-Kervin Arriaga, 16-Hector Castellanos, 20-Deybi Flores, 11-Rigoberto Rivas — 12-Romell Quioto (capt.)

    Honduras subs (12): 1-Edrick Menjivar (GK), 18-Maylor Nunez, 4-Getsel Montes, 23-Franklin Flores, 8-German Mejia, 10-Jhow Benavides, 13-Carlos Mejia, 7-Edwin Solano, 6-Joseph Rosales, 9-Clayvin Zuniga, 17-Luis Palma, 21-Bryan Rochez

    MORE: Can Messi and Ronaldo face off at the World Cup in Qatar?

    Argentina vs. Honduras TV channel, live stream

      USA Canada
    Date Fri, Sept. 23 Fri, Sept. 23
    Time 8 p.m. ET 8 p.m. ET
    TV channel beIN Sports Xtra beIN Sports Xtra
    Streaming fuboTV, beIN Connect fuboTV, beIN Connect

    The match from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., will be carried in both the USA and Canada on beIN Sports Xtra, which streams on fuboTV (free trial) in both countries. There is also a stream on beIN Sports Connect.

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