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Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring during an international friendly soccer match against Curacao in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Nicolas Aguilera) |
The 35-year-old Messi opened the scoring against Curacao in
the 20th minute with a right-foot shot from the edge of the box to reach the
100-goal milestone. Nico Gonzalez added another three minutes later with a
header from close range.
Messi then scored his 101st for Argentina in the 33rd minute
with a crossed shot to the right of the goalkeeper and his 102nd in the 37th
after an easy run to score. Two minutes earlier he had assisted Enzo Fernandez’
blast from the edge of the box.
The Argentine captain trails only two players on the list of
most goals scored for national teams in official matches; Portugal’s Cristiano
Ronaldo, with 122, and Iran’s Ali Daei, with 109. -AP