Lionel Messi surpassed the 100-goal mark for World Cup champions Argentina by scoring a hat-trick in their 7-0 friendly win over Curacao. Argentina’s leading scorer reached a century of international goals when he opened the scoring after 20 minutes in Santiago del Estero, Giovani Lo Celso setting him up in the centre of the box to slot home a low shot. It came 17 years after he opened his Argentina account in a 3-2 defeat to Croatia in March 2006. “We will never stop celebrating and I think it’s fair and deserved,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni told reporters. “I hope there will be more [Messi goals], he deserves all the praise and it’s good that these goals had been on Argentine soil, that has a special value too.”

Nicolas Gonzalez doubled the hosts’ lead shortly after with a header past Curacao keeper Eloy Room before Messi got his second with a trademark curling shot in at the far post in the 33rd minute. Messi then set up Enzo Fernandez to fire home from the edge of the box for Argentina’s fourth two minutes later and the 35-year-old completed his seventh hat-trick for the national team in the 37th minute with a simple finish following another pass from Lo Celso.

Substitute Angel Di Maria got on the scoreboard from the penalty spot in the 78th minute and Gonzalo Montiel, who scored Argentina’s last penalty to beat France in the World Cup final, sealed the rout three minutes from full-time. In a high-profile friendly in Cologne, a goal and two assists from Kevin De Bruyne lifted Belgium past struggling Euro 2024 hosts Germany 3-2. With both teams eager to bounce back from their shock group stage World Cup exits in December, it was Belgium who were the better side, earning their first victory over the Germans since 1954.

“Independent of the result, it is important how we perform in these friendly games,” said new Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco. “It’s not easy to play here… the German team have some really good players.” De Bruyne set up goals for Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku to give his side a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes but Germany were on the board on the stroke of halftime when Niclas Fuellkrug converted a penalty.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP