World Cup champion Argentina, led by Messi, defeated Australia 2-0 in a friendly at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Friday.
Messi opened the scoring just 1 minute, 19 seconds into the match when he received a pass from Enzo Hernandez in front of the left box, controlled it once and then fired a left-footed mid-range shot. The shot found the top left corner of the goal and stuck. Argentina made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute when Pechela scored off an assist from De Paul.
According to the BBC, “Messi opened 안전놀이터 the scoring after just one minute and 19 seconds. It was the fastest goal of Messi’s career. Messi, playing his first game since his move to Inter Miami, looked comfortable. Argentina was playing its third game after winning the World Cup. “It was my first game outside of Argentina,” he said.
Messi was detained for two hours at the airport after entering China on a Spanish passport. Messi was only released after the Argentine consulate issued him a temporary visa. “Isn’t Taiwan China?” he said, referring to his visa-free travel to Taiwan on a Spanish passport.
More than 68,000 fans showed up in Beijing to see Messi that day. During the game, a male Chinese fan ran onto the field to catch a glimpse of Messi and was arrested by police. Messi looked uncomfortable as the fan tapped him on the shoulder.
