Messi Scores 800th Goal As Argentina Extend Winning Run With Win Over Panama

Lionel Messi put on a show for his home fans, leading Argentina to a dominant 2-0 win over Panama in a friendly on Thursday.

The Paris Saint-Germain star was emotional as he and his teammates were greeted by a raucous crowd at El Monumental in Buenos Aires. Messi returned the favour as he struck the crossbar twice before finally finding the net with a free kick to reach 800 career goals.

Argentina piled on the pressure from the start, but Panama goalkeeper, Jose Guerraz kept his side in the game with a series of impressive saves. However, he was unable to keep out Thiago Almada’s rebound after Messi’s fourth free-kick hit the crossbar before the superstar himself sealed the victory with another sublime set-piece in the dying minutes.

The win sees Argentina continue their winning streak, with seven victories in a row since their shock loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They will now prepare to face Curacao in another home friendly, while Panama focus on their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League clash against Costa Rica.