Without Messi, Argentina Defeated Honduras Ahead of the 2026 World Cup

JAKARTA - The Argentine Tango team showed its class when defeating Honduras 2-0 without retaliation. Scaloni's children looked solid in the international friendly match ahead of the 2026 World Cup at Kyle Field Stadium, Texas, USA, Sunday.

Even though they were not strengthened by Lionel Messi who was still recovering from a hamstring injury, Argentina's attack was not blunt. In addition to Messi, several other players such as Julian Alvarez and Emiliano Martinez were also not played from the start because of fitness conditions.

The attacking line, which is inhabited by Lautaro Martinez, Thiago Almada, Giovani Lo Celso, and Giuliano Simeone, answered the coach's trust with slick performance.

Quoting ANTARA, the Argentine team played fast tempo through a combination of short passes in the midfield. Many attacks were built from the left side through Valentin Barco and Nicolas Tagliafico who several times helped penetrate into the Honduras defense area.

Honduras chose to play more defensively with a tight defensive line while waiting for the opportunity to make a quick counterattack through Luis Palma and Rigoberto Rivas. Honduras goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar was forced to work hard to overcome a number of dangerous Argentine opportunities through Lautaro and Almada.

The goal Argentina was waiting for finally came in the 37th minute. Lautaro successfully executed a penalty after Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down in the Honduran penalty box. The Inter Milan striker took a calm shot that Menjivar failed to stop so Argentina took a 1-0 lead.

After the lead, Argentina became more confident in controlling the match, while Honduras defended more to prevent additional goals. Argentina continued to dominate possession and continued to press, however, Honduras was able to hold on until halftime with a 0-1 deficit.

In the second half, Scaloni changed the strategy by bringing in Rodrigo De Paul and Facundo Medina to replace Barco and Tagliafico. Honduras also brought in Keyrol Figueroa to add power.

Argentina again dominated the ball. Their midfield combination made Honduras more defensive in their own area. The children coached by coach Jose Francisco Molina tried to attack back through the wings, but Argentina's high pressure made it difficult for them to build a clean attack.

In the 54th minute, Argentina managed to double the lead to 2-0 through Giuliano Simeone. The goal was created through a short combination between the forwards. Simeone, who received a horizontal pass, managed to grab the ball towards the bottom corner of the opponent's goal.

After leading by two goals, Argentina remained aggressive. They continued to dominate the ball with a fast tempo and player rotation was effective. Honduras still struggled to get out of the pressure, relying on quick counterattacks but always being contained by the disciplined Argentine defense.

The exchange of attacks between the two teams continued towards the end of the match with Argentina dominating. La Albiceleste created several crucial opportunities but could still be overcome by Honduras' defense until the match ended.