Argentina captain Lionel Messi added another feather of record to his cap, when he orchestrated a 6-0 rout of Puerto Rico in an international friendly played in Miami. After he missed out the previous
friendly against Venezuela reportedly due to minor fatigue, but in the game against Puerto Rico he appeared as a man on a mission, dictating play from midfield with the same deceptive ease that he is known for. It appeared to be a result of the game that Messi played that when the final whistle rang, the crowd reportedly rose in unison, chanting “Leo! Leo!”.
In this international friendly against Puerto Rico, Lionel Messi delivered two assists that propelled him past former Barcelona and PSG teammate Neymar Junior to claim the record for the most assists in men's international football history. With those passes, Messi surged to 60 assists, eclipsing Neymar’s mark of 59 for Brazil. Messi's tally now stands alone, ahead of not just Neymar but also USA’s Landon Donovan (58). Across his career, spanning 1,129 club and international appearances, Messi has amassed 397 assists, just two shy of 400.
Argentina were 3-0 up till halftime against Puerto Rico
The scoring began in the 27th minute, courtesy of Alexis Mac Allister, the Liverpool midfielder who attacked Puerto Rico's backline. Mac Allister latched onto a Messi through-ball that sliced through their defense. Just nine minutes later, Lionel Messi struck again, this time threading a defense-splitting pass to Gonzalo Montiel, the Sevilla right-back whose low drive doubled the lead at 2-0. By halftime, Argentina led 3-0 with Mac Allister adding a second from a thunderous free-kick that curled into the top corner.
A moment of alarm came when Puerto Rican midfielder Antonetti tried a long-range shot, only for Argentina's goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who also plays for Aston Villa, to produce a backflip save. The second half appeared to amplify the one-sided affair. In the 64th minute, Puerto Rico's Steven Echevarria bundled a corner into his own net, extending the lead to 4-0.
In the 79th minute, Lionel Messi with his back-heel flick in the box evaded three defenders and found Martinez unmarked. The forward obliged with a clinical finish, his first of a brace that also tied him with Hernan Crespo's 35-goal haul on Argentina's all-time scoring list. Messi, denied a goal by Puerto Rico keeper Sebastian Cutler's resistance, reportedly cut a frustrated figure at times, but his joy was palpable post-match. “Records are nice, but it's about the team,” he said in a brief on-pitch interview, his voice barely audible over the roar.
