Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass performance as he scored a hat trick and assisted two goals in Argentina’s commanding 6-0 victory over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifying match held at Estadio Más Monumental in Buenos Aires. This game marked Messi’s first appearance for Argentina in almost a year, and the football legend wasted no time making an impact.
Messi opened the scoring in the 19th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Bolivia. By the end of the first half, he had already set up two more goals – assisting Lautaro Martinez in the 43rd minute and Julián Álvarez shortly after, securing Argentina’s dominant lead. Despite a few strong saves from Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra, Argentina maintained complete control of the game.
In the second half, Nicolas Otamendi’s goal was ruled out for offside, but Argentina quickly made up for it when Thiago Almada slotted home the fourth goal. Messi then dazzled the crowd with a classic display of his dribbling skills, cutting through Bolivia’s defense and scoring his second goal of the night in the 84th minute. Just minutes later, Messi completed his hat trick with a well-executed one-two pass with substitute Nico Paz, sealing the game at 6-0.
This hat trick was Messi’s first since his three-goal haul against Curaçao in 2023. Argentina now sits comfortably atop the South American World Cup qualifying table with 22 points from 10 games, three points ahead of second-placed Colombia, who also registered an emphatic 4-0 win over Chile.
