Iceland failed to clear a chaotic goalmouth scramble and the loose ball fell to Strasbourg defender Valentín Barco, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner to give Argentina the lead. With Lionel Messi rested at the start, young midfielder Nico Paz had a chance to impress but squandered a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 before the break, his powerful strike blocked by the face of Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson.
Argentina made five changes at half‑time, introducing Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez, who twice struck the post when he should have extended the advantage. The crowd, eager for a glimpse of Messi, had to wait until the final quarter of the match.
The moment he stepped on, the tempo shifted. With his very first involvement, Messi slipped a brilliant pass through to Martínez, who was brought down by Olafsson as he attempted to chip the ball. Moments later, Messi calmly converted his 117th international goal on what was his 199th cap.
He wasn’t done. Messi helped create Argentina’s third, threading a pass to Rodrigo De Paul, who squared for Thiago Almada to tap home and seal the victory.
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