Messi Shines in ‘Farewell’ to Fans as Argentina Beats Venezuela

With an outstanding performance by Messi, Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 in a match for the 17th round of the South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers. This game marked Lionel Messi’s last official match for the Argentine team at home.
The goals of the match were scored by Lionel Messi (twice) and Lautaro Martínez. Already qualified, Argentina reached 38 points in the first position of the competition, with 12 wins in 17 matches. Venezuela, with the draw, now has a chance to qualify only in seventh place, for the world playoff.
The teams will return to the field for the final round of the tournament next Tuesday: the Argentines will visit Ecuador at 8 pm (Brasília time), while the Venezuelans will host Colombia half an hour later, at 8:30 pm.
In his last game for Argentina on home soil, the number 10 scored two goals to bid farewell. Messi scored the first goal in the first 45 minutes, and the second towards the end of the match.
Despite the brilliance of the Venezuelan goalkeeper, with six excellent saves, the Argentine team was far superior and secured the victory late in the game.
Romo stopped Julián Alvarez early in the game. In a great play initiated by Messi, Mastantuono made a beautiful pass to Almada, who laid it off. The center-forward shot powerfully, but the goalkeeper pushed it away.
And then, he stopped Messi. The number 10 took a left-footed shot from outside the box, but Romo went down and pushed it away.
Messi’s fantastic goal opened the scoring! Julián Alvarez received a ‘three-finger’ pass from Paredes that broke the defense, the striker dribbled past the defender and left it to the superstar, who chipped it delicately to put Argentina ahead at 40 minutes.
Another save by Romo. Messi released the ball to Almada at the top of the box, the number 16 cut right and placed a shot, but the goalkeeper once again made a great save.
Lautaro extended the lead! Towards the end of the match, at 31 minutes into the second half, the striker received a low cross from González, headed it in, and scored Argentina’s second goal.
The superstar scored his second goal late in the game! Lionel Messi received a pass from Almada inside the box and finished with finesse to make it 3-0 for Argentina at 35 minutes.
Match details
Argentina 3 x 0 Venezuela
Competition: 17th round of the South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers
Venue: Estádio Monumental de Núñez – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date and time: September 4, 2025, at 8:30 pm (Brasília time)
Referee: Piero Maza (CHI)
Assistants: Claudio Oorrutia and José Retamal (CHI)
VAR: Juan Lara (CHI)
Goals: Lionel Messi, 40′ / 1st half, Lautaro Martínez, 31′ / 2nd half, Lionel Messi, 35′ / 2nd half
Yellow cards: Romero (Argentina); Cásseres, Aramburu (Venezuela)