Argentina vs Curacao score, result, highlights, as Lionel Messi scores hat trick in 7-0 win

Simon Borg

•
Argentina vs Curacao score, result, highlights, as Lionel Messi scores hat trick in 7-0 win image

Argentina and Lionel Messi don't want this particular party to stop.

The defending World Cup champions wrapped up their celebration tour on home soil with a 7-0 win over Curacao featuring a first-half hat-trick by Lionel Messi. It's a win that's expected to lift Argentina to the No. 1 FIFA world ranking.

Exactly 100 days since hoisting the World Cup trophy, the Argentina captain led his team's first-half explosion with three of his team's five goals before halftime. Messi's first goal was the 100th in his Argentina career, one of only three men's players in history to reach that mark.

The second half saw the usual flood of substitutions on both sides, but the home side still added two more goals through an Angel Di Maria penalty and a goal by the penalty shootout hero from the World Cup final, Gonzalo Montiel.

This was the last action for Argentina until a reported June tour of Asia (June 14-20), where they will play two friendlies. That will be followed by the opening of 2026 World Cup qualifying in September at home against Ecuador and then away at Bolivia. 

MORE: Latest international friendly results

Argentina vs Curacao final score

  1H 2H Final
Argentina 5 2 7
Curacao 0 0 0

Goals:
ARG — Lionel Messi (Giovani Lo Celso) — 20th min.
ARG — Nico Gonzalez — 23rd min.
ARG — Lionel Messi (Nico Gonzalez) — 33rd min.
ARG — Enzo Fernandez (Lionel Messi) — 35th min.
ARG — Lionel Messi (Giovani Lo Celso) — 37th min.
ARG — Angel Di Maria (penalty) — 79th min.
ARG — Gonzalo Montiel (Paulo Dybala) — 87th min.

Lineups:

Argentina (4-3-3, right to left): 23-'Dibu' Martinez (GK) (1-Armani, 80') — 4-Montiel, 6-Pezzella, 19-Otamendi (2-Foyth 49'), 8-Acuna — 17-Lo Celso (21-Di Maria, 67'), 24-E. Fernandez (14-Palacios, 49'), 20-Mac Allister (7-De Paul, 49') — 10-Messi, 22-La. Martinez (21-Dybala, 67'), 16-N. Gonzalez

Curacao (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-Room (GK) — 3-Gaari, 2-Martina, 4-Van Eijma (19-Troupee, 73'), 5-Floranus — 10-L. Bacuna (20-Felida, 84'), 6-Anita (8-Roemeratoe, 84') — 17-Kuwas (16-Severina, 73'), 7-J. Bacuna, 14-Gorre (11-Zivkovic, 68') — 9-Janga (21-Antonisse, 58')

Messi makes history

Lionel Messi now has 102 goals for Argentina in 174 appearances for the senior national team and when he's dialed in, the rest of his teammates raise their game. Messi was sharp, making darting runs and quick decisions in the attack. You can't help but notice the chemistry with his Argentina teammates, something which is still missing at his club team PSG.

Lo Celso shines for Argentina

That Argentina won the World Cup to end their drought was a major feat in 2022. To have done it without Giovani Lo Celso was even more impressive. That's how pivotal the midfielder had been for Argentina in the lead-up to the World Cup. And everything that Argentina missed from Lo Celso was on display against Curacao: exquisite passing, quality touches, vision, and an ability to make Messi more dangerous than he already is. The statistics from the match tell the story:

What comes next for Argentina

Argentina lined up two easy opponents in this window (vs. Panama and vs. Curacao) to allow the team to celebrate with the fans. These matches weren't meant to be about the technicalities of each performance. It was a chance for the World Cup team to take a bow in front of its adoring supporters. Mission accomplished.

The fact that the next matches will be taking place in Asia this June is a chance for the team to turn the page from the 2022 World Cup to a new four-year cycle. And for now it seems like manager Lionel Scaloni has convinced Messi and Di Maria to be part of it, perhaps at least through the 2024 Copa America.

But the next time that Argentina will be on their home soil, they'll be battling to qualify for the next World Cup. There should be a very different air around the team by then. The only memory of 2022 will be the patch on the jersey and the star above their crest. But the South American qualifying slugfest will have to be top of mind from that point forward. As good as Argentina are, there will be work to do.

Argentina vs Curacao live updates, highlights from friendly

Final: Argentina 7-0 Curacao

After the final whistle, Lionel Messi gets another memento for reaching 100 goals. And then he does another World Cup trophy hoist for the fans. It's probably safe to say that this is the final time we'll be seeing him do this.

Final: It was Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room who came away with Leo Messi's jersey at the end of the match. And it was deserved, as the best Curacao player on the field alongside Juninho Bacuna.

87th min.: Goal Argentina! Angel Di Maria to Paulo Dybala on the left side of the box, and his cross finds Gonzalo Montiel just loitering in the box and the right-back simply had to touch it home. It's 7-0.

86th min.: Chance Argentina! Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room stops Lionel Messi with a full-stretch save down low. If it wasn't for Room, we could be in double figures by now.

82nd min.: YELLOW cards. One to each team. Moments after Rodrigo De Paul was booked for stomping on Juninho Bacuna, it was Curacao's Vurnon Anita who was cautioned for an arm to the face of Nico Gonzalez.

80th min.: SUB Argentina. Right after the goal, veteran goalkeeper Franco Armani replaces Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez, who gets the loud ovation from the crowd. He's a fan favorite.

79th min.: Goal Argentina! Di Maria converts, sending goalkeeper Eloy Room the wrong way. It's 6-0.

78th min.: Penalty Argentina! It's a harsh decision against Cuco Martina who deflects Angel Di Maria's shot with his arm, but it was tucked in. Messi is giving this chance to Di Maria.

73rd min.: SUBS Curacao. It's center-back Van Eijma and right winger Brandley Kuwas who come off. 

72nd min.: Chance(s) Argentina. First it was Nico Gonzalez who was foiled by the goalkeeper from close range. And then Di Maria served up Paulo Dybala for a header that went high. Argentina are not done.

67th min.: SUBS Argentina. Angel Di Maria (for Lo Celso) and Paulo Dybala (for Lautaro) are both in the game. Just as Curacao were feeling good about themselves!

58th min.: SUBS Curacao. Two forwards are replaced. Jeremy Antonisse, and Richairo Zivkovic are in the game to give their attack some fresh legs.

54th min.: Chance Argentina! Messi feeds Lautaro Martinez who enters the box all alone on the right side, but goalkeeper Eloy Room stops the shot.

49th min.: SUBS Argentina. It's a triple substitution. Rodrigo De Paul (for Mac Allister), Exequiel Palacios (for Enzo), and Juan Foyth (for Otamendi) come into the match. Why so soon? The exiting players get the ovation.

48th min.: Chance Argentina! Lionel Messi has a chance to make it 6-0 with a free kick, but he can't get close enough.

46th min.: The second half is underway. And the halftime concert kept going about 15 seconds into the half. Bonus entertainment.

Halftime: Argentina 5-0 Curacao

45th min.: In case you're wondering, the largest margin of victory for Argentina in a match is 12-0 against Ecuador in 1942.

37th min.: Goal Argentina! It's 5-0. It's a Messi hat-trick! And it's Giovani Lo Celso at the center of the action. What a pass to Messi, who does the rest.

35th min.: Goal Argentina! It's 4-0. Messi serves up Enzo Fernandez who takes a patented shot from outside the box.

33rd min.: Goal Argentina! It's Messi again and it's 3-0. Nico Gonzalez feeds Messi and it's in the back of the net before you know it.

29th min.: Chance Argentina! Messi has the ball in the box and after a few dribbling moves, the ball ends up at Lautaro Martinez's feet. But his shot is stopped by Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room.

23rd min.: Goal Argentina! It's another! On a corner kick, German Pezzella's header is cleared off the line, but Nico Gonzalez beats the goalkeeper to the ball and heads it in. It's 2-0 Argentina.

20th min.: Goal Argentina! It's Leo Messi. And it's his 100th goal in an Argentina jersey. What a pass from Giovani Lo Celso, who missed the World Cup due to injury.

Here's the list of goal scorers in Argentina history. Of course, Messi is the all-time record holder for his country.

19th min.: Curacao are also keeping the ball and they have spells where they're knocking it around. It's when Curacao lose the ball that Argentina waste no time and come right at them.

13th min.: Chance Argentina! It's Lo Celso through to Montiel down the right and Messi controls the cutback cross and fires on goal. But Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room makes the save. The play eventually fizzles out.

Argentina is turning up the pressure, but Curacao have settled in a bit.

11th min.: Messi chance! After both teams exchange buildups, Messi makes a run at the Curacao backline and fires a left-footed shot deflected for a corner. It's a terrible corner execution by Argentina and the ball flies over everyone's head.

3rd min.: Chance Argentina! Through ball to Messi and his cross to the left finds Lautaro Martinez all alone but he can't get contact and the ball bounces to the 'keeper. He was all alone. It was harder to knock it to the 'keeper than miss the goal.

1st min.: We're off. Argentina controlling possession for the first minute until a poor through ball gifts Curacao a goal kick.

1 min from kickoff: Kickoff is moments away. Team handshakes are done. Leo Messi and Curacao captain Cuco Martina at the center circle for the coin toss.

2 mins from kickoff: After the Curacao anthem, the Argentina anthem is played on a violin. It must be said — not quite the same energy. It's more of a classic delivery by the artists, sounding more like a prayer than an anthem. The fans are not really into it.

5 mins from kickoff: Teams are out on the field for anthems. Argentina come out with t-shirts that say "2030 Juntos" (2030 Together) in reference to the joint bid for the 2030 World Cup (Uruguay. Argentina. Paraguay. Chile).

11 mins from kickoff: Both teams are back in the locker, while the stadium goes dark and the cell phone lights are on. Quite the show as a video plays on the stadium field.

23 mins from kickoff: Leo Messi in warmups. There's plenty of Messi in the stands, too.

45 mins from kickoff: The referee crew today is also from Uruguay, just like the past game against Panama.

60 mins from kickoff: The Argentina lineup is out with six changes. Nico Gonzalez and Lautaro Martinez are up front with Messi behind them. Three new defenders (Otamendi remains) and one new midfielder as Giovano Lo Celso takes the place of Rodrigo De Paul.

70 mins from kickoff: Of course, as long as they're called up together, the superstition is not going away: Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes popping a candy in the center circle before every match.

The Curacao players taking advantage of the duo being at midfield for a few selfies before the match.

80 mins from kickoff: Argentina arrive at the stadium and there's a confetti cannon at the back entrance that goes off just as Messi is passing through. Not where you'd imagine a confetti cannon to be.

80 mins from kickoff: Curacao's players went out to the field as soon as they arrived and made sure to capture the scene for posterity.

84 mins from kickoff: The Curacao players are already getting ahead of it. Yesterday they asked Messi for 23 shirts for the entire team so that they don't have to fight over his one game jersey.

90 mins from kickoff: The Estadio Madre de Ciudades is already full and we're still 90 minutes away from kickoff. Incredible.

96 mins from kickoff: The Argentina team bus is heading to the stadium and you can hear the bedlam in the streets.

115 mins from kickoff: According to calculations by Argentina-based journalist Pablo Giralt, if Argentina can beat Curacao, they will leapfrog Brazil into the No. 1 spot of the FIFA World Rankings after No. 1 Brazil lost to Morocco on Saturday.

120 mins from kickoff: It's been over three months since Argentina won the World Cup, but the emotions are still flowing. Fast forward to the 1:10 mark of this video to see what it means to this kid to learn he's going to Tuesday's game. The "Gracias, Mami" will hit you right there.  

Argentina vs Curacao lineups

On Thursday, manager Lionel Scaloni opted to field the same starting 11 that took the field against France in the 2022 World Cup final. Against Curacao there are six changes, with both fullbacks switched out, and Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez, Nico Gonzalez, and center-back German Pezzella in the lineup.

Nahuel Molina and Thiago Almada are not on the matchday roster.

Argentina starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 23-Emiliano 'Dibu' Martinez (GK) — 4-Gonzalo Montiel, 6-German Pezzella, 19-Nicolas Otamendi, 8-Marcos Acuna — 17-Giovani Lo Celso, 24-Enzo Fernandez, 20-Alexis Mac Allister — 10-Lionel Messi, 22-Lautaro Martinez, 16-Nico Gonzalez

Argentina subs (15): 1-Franco Armani (GK), 12-Geronimo Rulli (GK), 13-Cristiano Romero, 2-Juan Foyth, 3-Nicolas Tagliafico, 25-Lisandro Martinez, 14-Exequiel Palacios, 7-Rodrigo De Paul, 5-Leandro Paredes, 18-Guido Rodriguez, 21-Paulo Dybala, 9-Julian Alvarez, 11-Angel Di Maria, 15-Angel Correa, 26-Giovanni Simeone.

Curacao manager Remko Bicentini has 23 players at his disposal including several Dutch-born players with ties to the island nation who play in the Netherlands like captain Cuco Martina (NAC Breda). A pair of brothers play in England: Leandro Bacuna (Watford) and Juninho Bacuna (Birmingham City). As in the case against Canada, Perth Glory defender Darryl Lachman will not be available.

He makes only one change from the starting lineup that lost to Canada 2-0 on Saturday. Kenji Gorre enters in place of Richairo Zivkovic on the left wing. Jurien Gaari, who picked up a first-half red card on two caution cards, is back in the lineup.

Curacao lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-Eloy Room (GK) — 3-Jurien Gaari, 2-Cuco Martina, 4-Roshon van Eijma, 5-Sherel Floranus— 10-Leandro Bacuna, 6-Vurnon Anita —  17-Brandley Kuwas, 7-Juninho Bacuna, 14-Kenji Gorre — 9-Rangelo Janga

Curacao subs (12): 22-Tyrick Bodak (GK), 23-Trevor Doornbusch (GK), 12-Shanon Carmelia, 19-Giovanni Troupee, 13-Justin Ogenia, 15-Nathangelo Markelo, 20-Kevin Felida, 18-Elson Hooi, 21-Jeremy Antonisse, 16-Xander Severina, 8-Godfried Roemeratoe, 11-Richairo Zivkovic

Watch Argentina vs Curacao live stream, TV channel

The Argentina vs. Curacao match from the Estadio Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero kicks off at 8:30 p.m. local time. According to reports, the 42,000 tickets were sold out in less than one hour.

Here's where and at what time you can watch the friendly around the world:

  Date Kickoff time TV channel Streaming
Australia Wed, Mar. 29 10:30 AEDT — —
Canada Tue, Mar. 28 19:30 EDT — Fanatiz
Hong Kong Wed, Mar. 29 07:30 HKT — —
India Wed, Mar. 29 05:00 IST — —
Malaysia Wed, Mar. 29 07:30 MYT —

—

New Zealand Wed, Mar. 29 12:30 NZDT — —
Singapore Wed, Mar. 29 07:30 SGT — —
UK Wed, Mar. 29 00:30 BST BT Sport 2 BT Sport site/app
USA Tue, Mar. 28 19:30 EDT — Fanatiz

UK: This match will available to watch live in the UK on BT Sports' TV and streaming services.

USA/Canada: The match will be streamed exclusively in the United States and Canada on soccer streaming platform Fanatiz for a one-time fee.

Worldwide: With a lack of broadcast options available, LiveSoccerTV has confirmed an international viewing option on YouTube though it didn't specify which channel. 

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.