Lionel Messi's Impact in Argentina's 3-0 Victory Over Iceland

Lionel Messi needed barely a heartbeat to remind Argentina – and the rest of the world – that he remains the sharpest weapon in their arsenal.

On a humid night in Auburn, Alabama, the 38-year-old came off the bench, won a penalty with his very first touch and buried it with ruthless certainty as Argentina eased past Iceland 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up.

Messi’s instant impact

Messi had sat out the weekend win over Honduras, nursing left hamstring soreness that cut short his last outing for Inter Miami on May 24. Any lingering concern evaporated the moment he stepped over the touchline.

Introduced in the 70th minute to a roar from the 88,000-strong crowd, he immediately slipped a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Lautaro Martinez. The striker reached it first, Iceland goalkeeper Elias Olafsson clattered into him, and the referee pointed to the spot.

Messi took the ball, glanced once at the goal and lashed his penalty high into the roof of the net. Goal number 117 for his country. Another reminder that, even in a cameo, he bends games to his will.

With his fitness restored and his World Cup place beyond doubt, he now stands on the brink of history, poised to join Cristiano Ronaldo as the first men’s players to appear at six World Cups.

Scaloni experiments, Barco takes his chance

This was no full-dress rehearsal from Lionel Scaloni. Messi, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister all began on the bench as the coach shuffled his pack and tested depth across the pitch.

The gamble could have backfired early. Iceland carved out the first big opening of the night, Mikael Egill Ellertsson lashing over from close range with the goal at his mercy. It was a glaring miss, and Argentina did not offer a second invitation.

Pinned back by a spell of pressure, Iceland failed to clear a goalmouth scramble and the ball fell kindly to Valentin Barco on the edge of the area. The Strasbourg defender struck cleanly, drilling a low shot into the bottom corner to give Argentina the lead and his own international prospects a timely boost.

Nico Paz, handed a start in Messi’s absence, had the chance to underline his credentials before the break. He drove into the box and unleashed a fierce effort, only to see Olafsson block it with his face. It summed up a frustrating night for the youngster: plenty of promise, no end product.

Big names off the bench, Almada finishes the job

Scaloni turned to his heavy artillery at half-time. Fernandez and Mac Allister came on among five changes, with Lautaro Martinez also introduced to spearhead the attack.

The Inter forward immediately stretched Iceland’s back line and twice struck the post when he should have doubled the advantage. Argentina controlled the tempo, but the second goal refused to come. For a while, the game drifted.

Then Messi arrived and the tempo changed again.

After his penalty, he slipped seamlessly into playmaker mode, dropping deep to dictate and dragging blue shirts out of position. The third goal carried his fingerprints as well.

Messi picked up possession and threaded a pass into Rodrigo De Paul’s stride. The midfielder did the unselfish thing, squaring across goal for Thiago Almada, who timed his run and tapped home to complete a satisfying night’s work for the world champions.

No injuries, a clean sheet, fringe players tested, Messi sharp. As final tune-ups go, Argentina could hardly have scripted it better.

Iraq stumble as Venezuela strike

Across the Midwest, Iraq endured a far tougher dress rehearsal.

In Bridgeville, Illinois, their preparations for a first World Cup appearance in 40 years hit a snag with a 2-0 defeat to Venezuela in their own final friendly.

Cristian Casseres set the tone early, pouncing in the 17th minute to finish from close range and put the South Americans ahead. Right after half-time, he seized on a loose ball again, this time releasing Jesus Ramirez. The striker glided past a defender and hammered a powerful shot beyond the goalkeeper for Venezuela’s second.

Iraq’s evening worsened when forward Ali Youssef received a straight red card in the 72nd minute, leaving them to finish with 10 men and no way back into the contest.

They now head to the World Cup with momentum dented but history within reach. Group I awaits: Norway on June 17, then France and Senegal. The question is no longer whether they are ready on paper, but how they respond when the lights go up and the wait of four decades finally ends.