Lionel Messi and Lautaro Martinez each scored two goals to lead the Argentina national team to a dominant victory (4-1) over Guatemala in their final preparatory match before the Copa America. Messi, who played the full 90 minutes, guided La Albiceleste to assert their dominance against Guatemala, which failed to qualify for the Copa America, set to start on Thursday in the United States.
Guatemala opened the scoring early at minute (0) when Lisandro Martinez scored an own goal. However, Argentina quickly equalized through Messi in the (12th minute), and the referee awarded a penalty that Lautaro Martinez successfully converted to give Argentina a 2-1 lead in the (39th minute).
Argentina completely dominated the second half with the introductions of Angel Di Maria, Rodrigo De Paul, and Leandro Paredes. Lautaro Martinez scored the third goal for La Albiceleste in the (66th minute) with assistance from Messi. In the (77th minute), Messi netted the fourth goal thanks to a brilliant pass from Di Maria.
The Argentine national team is set to head to Atlanta today, Saturday, in preparation for their first Copa America match next Thursday against Canada, which is part of Group A that also includes Chile and Peru. La Albiceleste is on a mission to reclaim the title they won three years ago.
