Argentina defeats Burkina Faso 7-0 in friendly ahead of Messi farewell match
Argentina scored five first-half goals in a 7-0 friendly win over Burkina Faso at Estadio Monumental, as the visitors arrived five hours before kickoff following travel delays in Morocco.
First-half offensive surge
Argentina secured a 7-0 victory against Burkina Faso in an international friendly at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The home side established total command early in the contest, scoring three times within the opening twelve minutes of play. Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and Burkina Faso defender Moumouni Diallo deflected the ball into his own net four minutes later. Gianluca Prestianni added a third goal in the twelfth minute, followed by strikes from Nicolás Paz in the 34th minute and Julián Álvarez in the 36th minute. Argentina entered the interval with a five-goal advantage after dominating the opening period. Franco Mastantuono increased the lead in the 56th minute, before substitute Giuliano Simeone concluded the scoring in stoppage time (90+2').
- Lautaro Martínez opens the scoring for Argentina
- Moumouni Diallo scores an own goal
- Gianluca Prestianni scores Argentina's third goal
- Nicolás Paz extends the lead to 4-0
- Julián Álvarez scores the fifth first-half goal
- Franco Mastantuono adds Argentina's sixth goal
- Giuliano Simeone seals the 7-0 victory in stoppage time
Travel delays in Casablanca
Burkina Faso faced acute fatigue during the match after landing in the Argentine capital only five hours before kickoff. The African squad had remained in Casablanca, Morocco, following their 1-0 win against the Central African Republic in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday. Their planned journey to South America stalled when an aircraft charter company failed to provide transport, leaving the players stranded in Casablanca on Friday night. The Burkinabe Football Federation detailed the operational breakdown in an official press release.
The travel of the national team was disrupted following the cancellation without notice, by the aircraft charterer, of the flight initially scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.
A specially chartered flight was eventually arranged to transport the team across the Atlantic, landing in Buenos Aires on Saturday morning just hours before taking the pitch.
Scaloni tests squad depth
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni used the friendly to assess squad depth, deploying 22 different players across the ninety minutes. The starting lineup featured Emiliano Martínez in goal, Agustín Giay and Facundo Medina at fullback, and Enzo Fernández partnering Alexis Mac Allister in midfield. Cristian Romero captained the team alongside Lisandro Martínez in central defense before both were withdrawn early in the second half. Three players made their senior international debuts during the match: defender Tomás Palacios, winger Matías Soulé, and forward Santiago Castro. Scaloni also gave minutes to substitutes Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolás González, Valentín Barco, Leonel Flores, and goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, while Burkina Faso coach Moussa Sanogo made six substitutions of his own.
Messi prepares for farewell match
The Saturday fixture preceded the final international appearance of Lionel Messi, scheduled for Tuesday against Benin at the Estadio Monumental. Messi, aged 39, will end a 21-year international career representing Argentina, having led the squad to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar and the final of the 2026 World Cup. Ticket demand for the upcoming farewell contest was intense, with seats costing up to 1,000 euros selling out within two hours of release. Scaloni's squad will remain in Buenos Aires to prepare for the Tuesday match against the West African side.
