Argentina beats Mauritania 2-1 as fans roar for Messi to chase a sixth World Cup

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Enzo Fernández and Nicolás Paz scored either side of halftime to give world champions Argentina a 2-1 victory over Mauritania on Friday night at La Bombonera, but the result was only part of the story. A capacity crowd spent the evening urging captain Lionel Messi to commit to a sixth World Cup appearance next month, serenading the 38-year-old with chants of “With Leo Messi leading the way, we’re all going to celebrate” the moment he emerged for warm-ups.

Messi, who began the friendly on the bench, entered after the break alongside 17-year-old Real Madrid prospect Franco Mastantuono. While he did not score, the forward forced Mauritania keeper Babacar Diop into a sharp save with a curling 55th-minute effort from distance, briefly lifting the stadium to its feet and keeping the dream alive for supporters desperate to see their icon in the United States–Mexico–Canada tournament starting in June.

Fernández opened the scoring in the 17th minute, steering home a low cross from Atlético Madrid right-back Nahuel Molina. Paz doubled the advantage on 32 minutes, whipping a left-footed free-kick through the defensive wall that left Diop rooted. The visitors pulled one back late, but Argentina comfortably closed out the win.

Coach Lionel Scaloni, who told reporters 24 hours earlier that he would “do everything possible” to persuade Messi to play in the upcoming World Cup, used the match to experiment with younger options while giving the home public a farewell glimpse of their heroes. The Albiceleste were forced to scramble for opponents after their high-profile Finalissima date with Spain in Qatar was canceled amid Middle-East conflict, and low-ranked but willing Mauritania (115th in the FIFA rankings) stepped in. Zambia, ranked 91st, will provide Tuesday’s opposition in the same venue as Scaloni races toward the May 30 roster deadline.

Argentina, also world champions in 1978 and 1986, will open their title defense in Group J against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, followed by Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27. Whether Messi joins that journey will hinge on how his body responds in the coming weeks; for one more night in Buenos Aires, the mere possibility was enough to set La Bombonera alight.