Despite the absence of captain Lionel Messi, Argentina demonstrated their prowess on Friday as they prepared for their Copa America title defense with a convincing 3-0 friendly victory over El Salvador in Philadelphia.
The scoring spree began in the 16th minute when defender Cristian Romero found the net, followed by goals from Enzo Fernández in the 42nd minute and Giovani Lo Celso in the 52nd minute, securing the win at Lincoln Financial Field, the home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
Messi, who now plays for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, was sidelined for Friday’s match and Argentina’s upcoming friendly against Costa Rica in Los Angeles due to a hamstring injury sustained during Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup victory over Nashville earlier this month.
Despite the chilly conditions in Philadelphia, Argentina dominated the match, showcasing their strength in their first friendly of the year against an El Salvador team that has endured 21 consecutive matches without a win.
Romero broke the deadlock by heading in a corner kick from Angel Di Maria, while minutes before halftime, Di Maria’s precise pass set up Rodrigo de Paul, whose header found Fernández for a simple finish.
In the second half, Lo Celso capitalized on another excellent combination play, this time involving Di Maria and Lautaro Martinez, to score with a left-footed shot.
The match also provided Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni with the opportunity to give playing time to youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Valentin Barco, with the latter being a standout performer for the U-23 team during Olympic qualifying matches.
