Argentina triumphed 3-0 over Venezuela only last month in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, and it didn’t take long for the defending champions – who were without Lionel Messi due to his commitment to Inter Miami, who play Atlanta United tomorrow – to come close to taking the lead.
Only six minutes had gone by before Jose Contreras was forced into producing a stunning point-blank save to keep out Lautaro Martinez’s fierce effort.
Determined to make the early breakthrough, Lionel Scaloni’s side should have been ahead not long after, but Lo Celso somehow fired his effort wide from deep inside the area despite there not being a defender in sight.
In stunning form for club side Como in Serie A this season after already contributing six attacking returns (G3, A3) in as many games, Nico Paz was the next to try his luck to break the deadlock in the 18th minute.
However, the Argentine attacker saw his well-executed effort from a distance expertly redirected onto the post by Contreras’ outstretched gloves.
Nevertheless, Lo Celso redeemed himself for his earlier miss after the half-hour mark in Miami as he took a deft touch on the ball before confidently firing past Contreras to give Argentina a deserved lead.
The Real Betis man nearly doubled his and Argentina’s tally five minutes later, but found the Venezuelan stopper in fine form at his near post.
Keen to join Lo Celso on the scoresheet, Paz was again left frustrated in the 52nd minute, as another effort from long range was well-saved by Contreras.
If it wasn’t for Venezuela’s goalkeeper, it could have ended like a cricket score in Miami, as Martínez saw another attempt stopped from ending up in the back of the net.
Remarkably, Venezuela nearly equalised with their first meaningful effort on goal in the 74th minute. Completely beaten, Emiliano Martínez was left indebted to the woodwork as Teo Quintero’s close-range effort cannoned back off the crossbar.
There was still time for Contreras to deny Martinez again with a brilliant double-save that visibly left the Inter Milan striker thinking what he had to do to score.
Ultimately, Quintero’s chance ended up being Venezuela’s only threat on the night, as Argentina move forward with another friendly on Tuesday against Puerto Rico, in which the legendary Messi is expected to feature in some capacity.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s new interim reign under Oswaldo Vizcarrondo – following Fernando Batista’s sacking after La Vinotinto’s failure to qualify for next year’s World Cup – continues with a non-competitive contest against Belize.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Giovani Lo Celso (Argentina)
