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Lionel Scaloni believes Argentina’s debutants during their 6-0 thrashing of Puerto Rico have made a strong case to be involved in next summer’s World Cup squad.
Scaloni watched on as his team earned an impressive victory at Chase Stadium, with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister and Inter’s Lautaro Martinez both notching braces.
And upon his return to the national side, Lionel Messi also chipped in with two assists, while Gonzalo Montiel got himself on the scoresheet with a fine first-half volley.
Scaloni opted to make nine changes to the team that beat Venezuela last time out, with one of his alterations being Jose Lopez, who made his debut for the Albiceleste.
Lautaro Rivero, Anibal Moreno and Facundo Cambeses also made their international bows, taking the number of debuts Scaloni has given during his tenure to 55.
“Luckily, we could see guys who hadn’t had many minutes. First what we analyse is how they approach it,” Scaloni said.
“They are important players and Puerto Rico allowed us to see them play. I debuted in the national team in a match with Libya and I have it engraved in my memory.
“From now on, they will have to continue performing to put the other players and also the coach in trouble.”
#AmistosoInternacional
@Argentina 6 (Alexis Mac Allister x2, Gonzalo Montiel, Steven Echevarría e/c y Lautaro Martínez x2) #PuertoRico 0
¡Final del partido!
Una Albiceleste a puro gol pic.twitter.com/b1cDSggq2b
— Seleccion Argentina (@Argentina) October 15, 2025
Not to be outdone, Messi also had his say in the contest with two brilliant assists in either half for Montiel and Martinez.
Indeed, the 38-year-old took his international assist tally to 60, surpassing the previous record at that level held by former Barcelona team-mate Neymar (59). He is also now two shy of totalling 400 in his professional career.
It was another exquisite display from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, who also ended the match with game-high totals for shots (eight), chances created (five) and crosses (three), while only Rodrigo De Paul registered more accurate passes (136) than Messi (75).
Messi had missed Argentina’s previous fixture in order to play for Inter Miami in the MLS, where he scored twice against Atlanta United, though Scaloni was thrilled to have him back among the squad against Puerto Rico.
“Yesterday, I asked him if he was ready to play, and he said yes. It’s always a joy for us,” Scaloni added.
“He trained with us last week, and then we decided not to use him against Venezuela. We had Lautaro [Martinez] and Julian [Alvarez], and we had Flaco Lopez on the bench.
“He was able to play this match, and I imagine both he and Rodrigo [De Paul] felt at home on the pitch where they play.”
A dominant display from Argentina was backed up by the match metrics, with Scaloni’s team registering an expected goals (xG) total of 2.87 from their 25 shots, 11 of which were on target, compared to Puerto Rico’s 0.21 from their five attempts.
Although the game with a team ranked 155th in the world was a non-event as a spectacle, Scaloni reiterated that a lot of work had been done off the field as they continued their preparations for the defence of their World Cup crown.
“We were able to do more intense workouts than normal,” Scaloni said.
“They [the debutants] are valid players who showed that they have the ability to be here, so we knew that they were going to perform.
“And irrespective of the opponent, we have our level and they have to get used to that.”
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