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Legendary footballer Lionel Messi expressed satisfaction with both his performance and physical condition after Argentina's convincing 3-0 win over Iceland in their final FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up match on Wednesday.
Played at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, the InterMiami forward was introduced in the 70th minute and calmly converted a penalty in Argentina's comfortable victory. After the match, Messi expressed his relief at his physical condition to TyC Sports, as quoted by Goal.com, "Enjoying it from the start, I was eager to play for a while since I arrived with this discomfort. Happy, enjoying every moment, and excited as always. I felt great, I was keen to get started and shake off the fears you have when you have this discomfort, to be able to play freely. We have a week to get everyone fit and ready for the opening match." Earlier, the legendary footballer shared a series of pictures on his Instagram handle after the defending champions' 3-0 win over Iceland. The legendary footballer wrote, "Come on, let's be closer than ever." https://www.instagram.com/p/DZY_8V-DdEq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA= Coming to the Warm-up fixture, La Albiceleste endured an early scare after Iceland squandered a clear scoring opportunity in the opening minutes, but the world champions soon asserted control over the contest. Valentin Barco broke the deadlock in the eighth minute with a brilliant strike from outside the box, giving Argentina an early advantage. In the second half, Lionel Messi made an instant impact after being introduced from the bench, with his incisive pass leading to Lautaro Martinez winning a penalty. Messi then calmly converted from the spot in the 72nd minute to double Argentina's lead. Thiago Almada later completed the scoring in the 86th minute, finishing off a well-worked move involving Messi and Martinez that dismantled Iceland's defence. Argentina remained dominant throughout the match, heading into the World Cup on a high after a convincing final preparatory performance. For those unversed, Messi missed Argentina's 2-0 friendly victory over Honduras on June 6 despite taking part in the pre-match warm-up, as he was recovering from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring. The Inter Miami forward had joined the national team camp after experiencing discomfort during his club's MLS fixture against the Philadelphia Union before the league paused for the World Cup. Argentina open their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 before facing Austria and Jordan in Group J. (ANI)
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