Even without Messi, Argentina's winning streak continues

 Even without Messi, Argentina's winning streak continues

Argentina's Cristian Gabriel Romero (C), German Alejo Pezzella (L) and Nicolas Ivan Gonzalez (R) celebrate a goal during the international friendly football match between Indonesia and Argentina in Jakarta on June 19, 2023.(Getty)

After winning the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina has traveled to Asia to play two friendly matches. Four days ago, Lionel Messi's team played the first friendly match against Australia in Beijing, China. In that match, Lionel Messi scored a goal in just 79 seconds. However, Argentina lost to Australia with a score of 2-0.

But Messi did not travel to Jakarta for the next friendly match against Indonesia. It was already known that he wouldn't be available. At the age of only 35, Messi is not just a forward but also a burden to play continuously in club football. Argentina also went without two other stars, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi, who took a break from Barcelona to rest. Despite their absence, Argentina easily won the match.

Today in Jakarta, Indonesia lost to La Albiceleste with a score of 2-0 at the Bung Karno Stadium. It was not a difficult task for Argentina to defeat Indonesia, who ranked 149th in the FIFA rankings. Rodrigo De Paul was also absent from this match. The midfielders Rodrigo De Paul, Paulo Dybala, and Enzo Fernandez did not take the field. Coach Lionel Scaloni gave the opportunity to the young players.

Although Indonesia initially showed some strength, they couldn't keep up with the Latin powerhouses. They made little effort to keep the Latin powers at bay. However, in the 38th minute, Leandro Paredes broke the deadlock. From a ball received from Ezequiel Palacios, he took a long-range shot that went beyond the reach of the Indonesian goalkeeper. Indonesia couldn't stop Paredes' bullet-like shot that hit the top right corner of the net.

After the goal, the welcome team launched an attack. Just a few minutes later, Emiliano Martinez made another fantastic save. In the 53rd minute, he saved a header from the opposition outside the goalpost. Three minutes later, Argentina doubled their lead. From Giovani Lo Celso's corner, defender Cristian Romero headed the ball into the net. Maintaining this advantage until the end, Scaloni's team secured the victory.

With this match, Indonesia faced the three-time World Cup champions for the first time. After winning the World Cup in December, this was Lionel Scaloni's team's fourth friendly match. Messi played in the previous three matches. Even in those three matches, the Latin powerhouses dominated and secured victories.