Argentina won 1-0 over Ecuador in a Copa América warmup match on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, thanks to Ángel Di María’s goal. This was Messi first international appearance in six months.
Messi came on as a substitute for Di María in the 56th minute after missing the first half.
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A right hamstring injury prevented the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Inter Miami star from playing in Argentina’s last two Copa América preparation games against El Salvador and Costa Rica in March.
“There’s no need to endanger Leo [Messi]. Others, like [Nicolas] Otamendi, did not play. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni stated that Angel Di María, Julian Alvarez, and Lautaro Martinez only received little playing time.
“We want to take care of these players, and allow them to arrive in their best possible conditions to the tournament” .
In the 40th minute, Di María scored with a reverse pass from Cristian Romero, as Messi remained on the bench.
“We knew Copa America would be difficult; you could see it today in the game. “There will be difficult games,” Di María told TyC Sports. “I believe today was an appropriate game to demonstrate who we are. I believe we’re on a good track.”
Di María scored his second consecutive goal in an international encounter, having previously scored against Costa Rica on March 26. With the 31st goal of his Argentina career, the 36-year-old midfielder is level with Gonzalo Higuain for the fifth-most goals in the country’s history and is only four goals behind Diego Maradona at No. 4 on the leaderboard.
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