Lionel Messi marked his return from injury with a goal as Argentina defeated Iceland 3-0 on Tuesday in their final warm-up match ahead of the World Cup.
The Argentina captain, who is preparing for a record sixth World Cup appearance, came off the bench in the 70th minute and converted a penalty two minutes later after Lautaro Martínez was fouled inside the box.
Messi, 38, had been recovering from muscle fatigue and a minor hamstring strain picked up during his last appearance for Inter Miami on May 24. After missing the start of the match, he made an immediate impact once introduced.
The Argentina star, the national team’s all-time top scorer with 117 goals, struck a high left-footed penalty in the 72nd minute to seal the win.
Argentina, the reigning world champions and three-time winners in 1978, 1986 and 2022, will begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City. Group J also includes Austria and Jordan.
The match was only the second meeting between Argentina and Iceland. Their previous encounter came at the 2018 World Cup, which ended 1-1, where Messi had missed a penalty.