Argentina produced another dominant attacking display, thrashing Burkina Faso 7-0 at the Monumental Stadium on Sunday to register back-to-back victories in their FIFA international friendlies ahead of Lionel Messi’s farewell appearance on home soil.
The emphatic victory followed Argentina’s 4-0 win over Bolivia, giving Lionel Scaloni’s side 11 goals across their last two matches without conceding.
Argentina took control from the outset, with Lautaro Martínez opening the scoring in the fourth minute after missing an initial penalty.
Agustín Giay was brought down inside the box by Moumouni Diallo, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Burkina Faso goalkeeper Razak Guira saved Martínez’s first attempt, but the Inter Milan striker reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home with his left foot.
Martínez, who also scored the opener against Bolivia, now has 42 goals in 86 international appearances, moving closer to Gabriel Batistuta’s Argentina record of 54 goals. Messi remains the country’s all-time leading scorer with 125.
Argentina doubled their advantage in the eighth minute when Diallo inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to clear.
Gianluca Prestianni made it 3-0 in the 12th minute, breaking into the penalty area before finishing powerfully for his first international goal.
The hosts continued to overwhelm their opponents, with Nicolás Paz adding the fourth in the 35th minute after making a well-timed run into space.
Julián Álvarez struck again just a minute later to cap a devastating first-half performance, sending Argentina into the break with a commanding 5-0 lead.
The attacking intensity remained undiminished after the interval, and substitute Franco Mastantuono made an immediate impact by scoring his first goal for the senior national team in the 57th minute.
The young attacker found himself one-on-one with Guira and calmly converted to make it 6-0, adding another memorable moment at the Monumental, where he had previously scored a spectacular free-kick for River Plate.
Burkina Faso struggled to contain Argentina throughout the contest, with the hosts continuing to create opportunities despite their overwhelming advantage.
Giovanni Simeone completed the rout in the third minute of stoppage time, finding the net in the 93rd minute to seal Argentina’s seventh goal.
The victory provided another confidence boost for the world champions as they prepare for Messi’s scheduled final appearance for Argentina at the Monumental on Tuesday against Benin.