Argentina Cruise Past Bolivia 4-0 as Messi Era Nears Its End

Argentina delivered a commanding 4-0 victory over Bolivia in Córdoba on Wednesday, producing an impressive performance even without their legendary captain and leading scorer, Lionel Messi.

The match marked Argentina’s first outing since Messi announced that he would retire from international football at the end of August. Although the superstar was absent from the squad, Lionel Scaloni’s team showed that it still possesses considerable attacking quality and depth as a new chapter approaches.

Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Cristian Romero and José Manuel López were all on the scoresheet as Argentina comfortably controlled the match against their CONMEBOL opponents.

Martínez opened the scoring in the first half with a composed strike from just outside the penalty area. Argentina continued to dominate possession and create opportunities, with Paz doubling the advantage before halftime through a clever close-range chip.

After the break, Romero extended Argentina’s lead when he headed home to make it 3-0. The defender also wore the captain’s armband in Messi’s absence, symbolizing the beginning of a transition for the national team.

López completed the scoring with a close-range finish, giving Argentina a convincing four-goal victory.

Argentina Moves Forward Without Messi

Messi’s absence naturally attracted much of the attention surrounding the match. The 39-year-old has played 207 matches for Argentina and is the country’s all-time leading scorer with 125 international goals. He has also scored 21 goals in World Cup competition.

Despite losing one of the greatest players in football history, Argentina looked organized and confident without him. The performance offered encouragement to Scaloni as he begins preparing the team for the future.

The victory was also an important response following Argentina’s previous major competitive appearance, a World Cup final defeat against Spain after extra time.

Messi Still Has One Final Argentina Match

Although Messi did not feature against Bolivia, his international career is not quite finished.

The superstar is scheduled to play one final match for Argentina in a farewell friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6. Before that, Argentina will face Burkina Faso in another friendly on October 3.

The Benin match is expected to provide an emotional sendoff for Messi, who has enjoyed an extraordinary international career with Argentina.

After years of near misses, Messi finally helped Argentina win the Copa América in 2021 before leading the country to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022. His international career has also included another Copa América title and a Finalissima triumph.

A New Chapter for Argentina

Argentina’s victory over Bolivia demonstrated that the national team has options beyond Messi. Martínez remains an important attacking presence, while Paz represents part of the younger generation expected to play a greater role in the years ahead.

Romero’s leadership at the back also highlighted the possibility of a changing leadership structure within the squad.

For Scaloni, the immediate challenge will be maintaining Argentina’s competitive standards while gradually integrating emerging players into a team that has enjoyed significant success in recent years.

The 4-0 victory cannot replace Messi, nor does one friendly provide a definitive picture of Argentina’s future. However, it gave the reigning world champions a positive start to the next stage of their international journey.

With Messi’s farewell approaching, Argentina is preparing to say goodbye to its greatest international star while simultaneously looking toward a future that will inevitably be different without him.

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