Lionel Messi scored his fastest goal in his international career with Argentina, leading to a 2-0 victory in a friendly match against Australia in Beijing, after finding the net just 79 seconds into the game on Thursday. Substitute German Pezzella doubled Argentina's lead in the second half, heading the ball into the net after escaping two defenders and receiving a cross from Rodrigo De Paul.
Fans immediately got their money's worth when Argentina regained possession in Australia's half in the second minute, allowing Enzo Fernández to pass the ball to Messi, who dribbled past defenders before deceiving the goalkeeper with a curling shot from outside the box.
With this goal, Messi, who confirmed last week his transfer to Inter Miami, has scored in seven consecutive matches for his country, and the Argentine captain seems relentless ahead of celebrating his 36th birthday next week.
Messi stated, "I always enjoy being with the national team. The match was difficult due to the high temperature and humidity, but regardless of that, we continued to play strongly." The Argentine captain enjoys immense popularity in China, where football fans follow prominent national teams to make up for the poor performance of the Chinese national team.
All surrounding areas of the stadium and Messi's team's hotel were filled with hundreds of football fans wearing the Argentine national team jersey in recent days.
