BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi scored one goal and set up another as Argentina thrashed Zambia 5-0 on Tuesday in the South Americans&#39; final game on home soil before launching the defense of their World Cup crown.&nbsp;Messi, restored to the starting line-up by coach Lionel Scaloni after Argentina&#39;s lackluster win over Mauritania last Friday, made an instant impact in Tuesday&#39;s friendly at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.&nbsp;The 38-year-old superstar set up the opening goal for Julian Alvarez before bagging his 116th goal for Argentina with an individual strike just before half-time.&nbsp;Tuesday&#39;s game marked a World Cup send-off for the reigning world champions, who will face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in Group J of the finals in June.&nbsp;Argentina will also play a friendly against Serbia in June, and are seeking to arrange another warm-up fixture before the tournament.&nbsp;Messi is firmly expected to captain Argentina into what will be a record sixth World Cup finals as the South American giants target back-to-back titles.&nbsp;The Inter Miami playmaker once again demonstrated his enduring influence on the Albiceleste with a typically decisive contribution in a comfortable win.&nbsp;Alvarez fired Argentina into the lead after just four minutes when Messi effortlessly controlled a lofted pass on the edge of the area and then threaded a pass into the feet of the Atletico Madrid striker to score.&nbsp;Messi doubled Argentina&#39;s lead with the 902nd goal of his career two minutes before half-time, working a clever one-two with Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister before tucking a low finish past Zambia goalkeeper Willard Mwanza.&nbsp;Messi could have added to his goals tally just after half-time when Argentina were awarded a penalty following Albert Kangwanda&#39;s foul on Thiago Almada.&nbsp;But rather than take the spot kick himself, Messi handed the ball to veteran defender Nicolas Otamendi, and the 38-year-old made no mistake from the spot for a 3-0 lead.&nbsp;An own goal from Dominic Chanda in the 68th minute put Argentina 4-0 up, before rising star Valentin Barco completed the scoring in stoppage time to make it 5-0.&nbsp;

Football

Lionel Messi scored and assisted as Argentina beat Zambia 5-0 in a World Cup warm-up, with goals from Alvarez, Otamendi, Barco and an own goal completing victory.

Messi on target as Argentina down Zambia in World Cup send-off

BUENOS AIRES: Lionel Messi will start for Argentina in a friendly against Zambia on Tuesday in what is the reigning world champions&#39; final game on home soil before they defend their World Cup crown.&nbsp;Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Messi, who began on the bench for Friday&#39;s lacklustre 2-1 win over Mauritania, will spearhead what is expected to be a full-strength side against Zambia.&nbsp;&quot;Messi will be in the starting lineup tomorrow,&quot; Scaloni said.&nbsp;Messi, 38, has not formally confirmed he plans to play in the World Cup but played a full part in Argentina&#39;s qualification campaign for the finals.&nbsp;Scaloni indicated that he expects Messi to be part of his squad for what would be the eight-time Ballon D&#39;Or winners&#39; sixth World Cup appearance.&nbsp;&quot;The important thing is that he comes and enjoys being at a World Cup &mdash; which, theoretically, will be his last,&quot; Scaloni said of Messi.&nbsp;&quot;We want him to enjoy it, because later on, you really miss playing in events like these.&quot;&nbsp;Scaloni said Messi on Tuesday will be surrounded by the established core of the team which topped South American qualifying and that will start the World Cup among the favorites for the title.&nbsp;&quot;Most of the players we know well will be playing. This will be the final test,&quot; Scaloni said.&nbsp;&quot;Later, we&#39;ll make some changes to take a look at some of the younger guys, but the idea is to field our most familiar lineup,&quot; he said, emphasizing that Friday&#39;s scrappy win over Mauritania was not representative of his squad.&nbsp;&quot;I am convinced that the team&#39;s performance level is not what we saw the other day,&quot; Scaloni said. &quot;If we see that the team isn&#39;t quite there, we&#39;ll look for other options. But they deserve a vote of confidence.&quot;&nbsp;Scaloni has already submitted a preliminary 55-player list to the Argentina Football Association, with the final 26-man squad to be confirmed at the end of May.&nbsp;&quot;I have the list pretty well figured out, but if performance levels aren&#39;t up to par, we&#39;ll take measures to ensure we bring the absolute best squad possible; we are striving for something as close to perfection as we can get,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;The players who have been with us for a while hold a slight advantage simply because we know them well; however, they have to maintain that advantage -- and everyone knows what happened the other day (against Mauritania) cannot be repeated.&quot;

Lionel Messi will start for Argentina in a friendly against Zambia, their final home match before the World Cup. Coach Scaloni plans a full-strength lineup, emphasizing squad performance and preparing for Messi’s likely sixth World Cup.

Messi to start for Argentina in World Cup send-off: Scaloni

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Argentine Football Association (AFA) formally included Pakistan on Wednesday in its global football community, announcing the launch of an official fan club as part of its international outreach strategy.&nbsp;The announcement was made via AFA&rsquo;s verified social media platforms, where the association welcomed the country with the post &ldquo;Salam Pakistan.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2023308581391811047&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=35ca5539404e61da6b5e94d8b7fe8ca669029dde&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 249px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2023308581391811047"></iframe></div></div>Leandro Petersen, Chief Commercial &amp; Marketing Officer at AFA, announced the company&#39;s entry into the Pakistani market.&nbsp;&ldquo;As part of AFA&#39;s global expansion plan, following recent recognition from Harvard Business School and Brand Finance, we are pleased to announce the start of development in a new market: AFA Pakistan,&rdquo; he wrote on his Instagram account.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div></div>&ldquo;From now on, AFA will establish a direct and personalized relationship with this market, offering specific digital content, a commercial strategy to connect with the country&#39;s leading companies, sporting projects, and a comprehensive brand presence.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DU3vfFKjpKB/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=1080&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A509564.40000003576%2C%22ls%22%3A65.10000002384186%2C%22le%22%3A65.10000002384186%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="746" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div>The AFA tweeted, &ldquo;Welcoming Pakistan into the AFA football community.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;The passion has always been here, now the connection is official and &amp; the journey begins,&rdquo; the AFA added.&nbsp;On their official Instagram, the association posted, &ldquo;From the world of champions to a nation that has always lived and breathed the game.&rdquo;&nbsp;AFA is among the most decorated governing bodies worldwideEstablished in 1893, the Argentine Football Association is among the oldest and most decorated football governing bodies worldwide.&nbsp;It administers football at all levels in Argentina and oversees the national team, which is currently regarded as one of the strongest in international football.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has formally included Pakistan in its global football community, announcing the launch of an official fan club as part of its international outreach strategy.

Argentine Football Association (AFA) officially welcomes Pakistan

FORT LAUDERDALE: Lionel Messi inspired Inter Miami to their first ever MLS Cup title on Saturday, playing a starring role in a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Florida.&nbsp;Argentina superstar Messi provided assists for two goals and helped create another to spark wild celebrations before a rapturous home crowd at the Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.&nbsp;&quot;This is the moment that I&#39;ve been waiting for, and that we as a team have been waiting for,&quot; Messi, named MLS Cup Most Valuable Player, said afterwards.&nbsp;Miami took the lead after an early Edier Ocampo own goal, but were left reeling by Ali Ahmed&#39;s second-half equalizer for Vancouver.&nbsp;But Messi then laid on an assist for Argentina international team-mate Rodrigo De Paul to put Miami 2-1 up before supplying the pass for Tadeo Allende&#39;s injury-time goal that sealed victory.&nbsp;Miami&#39;s first Major League Soccer crown provided glittering vindication for co-owner David Beckham, the former England and Manchester United star who had long dreamed of bringing success to Miami.&nbsp;&quot;There was a lot of sleepless nights, but I always believed,&quot; Beckham said afterwards. &quot;I always believed in bringing the team here, and when I found the right partners I knew anything was possible.&nbsp;&quot;We always promised our fans that we would bring success, and bring the best players, and today we&#39;ve achieved that.&quot;&nbsp;Vancouver, spearheaded by German legend Thomas Mueller, had looked the likelier victor after recovering from Ocampo&#39;s eighth-minute own goal to level through Ali Ahmed in the 60th minute.&nbsp;The Whitecaps almost took the lead moments after the equalizer, with Emmanuel Sabbi&#39;s shot crashing off both posts in the 62nd minute as Miami escaped.

Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup title with a 3-1 win over Vancouver, providing two assists. Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende scored, fulfilling co-owner David Beckham’s vision for the club.

Messi dazzles as Miami beat Vancouver to win MLS title

R&Iacute;O CUARTO: President Javier Milei on Saturday hailed the arrival of Argentina&rsquo;s first six F-16 jets purchased from Denmark, describing them as &ldquo;guardian angels&rdquo; that will strengthen the South American country&rsquo;s armed forces. The US-built aircraft are among the 24 used supersonic fighters bought last year from Copenhagen for roughly $300 million, an exchange Milei&rsquo;s government described at the time as Argentina&rsquo;s most important military acquisition in 50 years. &ldquo;After a long wait, I finally have behind me the first six F-16 fighter jets,&rdquo; Milei said on the tarmac of a military base in Rio Cuarto, some 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Buenos Aires. &ldquo;Thanks to this significant investment, we will considerably strengthen our air force.&rdquo; Following a ceremony, Milei boarded one of the F-16 Fighting Falcons &mdash; which had flown low over Argentina&rsquo;s capital before landing in Rio Cuarto &mdash; and was seen smiling in the cockpit next to his sister Karina Milei, who serves as general secretary of the presidency, and Defense Minister Luis Petri. &ldquo;Hundreds of thousands of Argentines were able to look up and see their guardian angels in the sky for the first time,&rdquo; the president said. When the sale was announced in April 2024, Argentina&rsquo;s defense ministry said the modernized Danish F-16s would form &ldquo;the backbone of Argentina&rsquo;s air defense system.&rdquo; They replace Argentina&rsquo;s French Mirage jets, the last of which were retired in 2017 after four decades of service. The US administration of President Donald Trump, a Milei ally, approved the transfer of F-16s. The US Embassy in Buenos Aires said in a statement Saturday that Argentina&rsquo;s jet acquisition marks &ldquo;a major step in the country&rsquo;s efforts to modernize its air capabilities and deepen defense cooperation with the United States.&rdquo; It said the delivery was the first of four batches, with six additional aircraft to be delivered to Argentina each December through 2028.

Americas

President Javier Milei welcomes Argentina’s first six Danish F-16 jets, calling them 'guardian angels' as the $300 million acquisition boosts its air defense and deepens US cooperation.

Milei welcomes Argentina’s first F-16 fighter jets

Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: China&#39;s largest carmaker on Wednesday launched sales of its EVs in Argentina, taking advantage of the lifting of import tariffs for electric and hybrid vehicles and boosting its fast-growing footprint in South America.&nbsp;The models for sale are the electric Yuan Pro SUV, Song Pro plug-in hybrid SUV, and the electric Dolphin Mini.&nbsp; They all have a price of under $16,000 at origin before taxes and fees to take advantage of a new measure by Argentina&#39;s government to allow up to 50,000 electric and hybrid vehicles without tariffs in 2026.&nbsp;Chinese brands dominate this sector, and Argentina has said it expects imports of about 40,000 electric and hybrid vehicles to enter the country by the end of January.&nbsp;Normally, imported cars from brands that do not have manufacturing operations in Argentina or other members of South America&#39;s trade bloc Mercosur, which includes Brazil, pay a 35% tariff.&nbsp;Stephen Deng, the country manager for BYD in Argentina, said that BYD can currently import about 7,800 electric and hybrid cars under an allocation it was given by Argentina.&nbsp;&quot;We see great potential in the long term for Argentina to develop electromobility,&quot; Deng told Reuters at a launch event on Wednesday, calling the new policy a &quot;tremendous opportunity.&quot;&nbsp;Local dealers say the tariff scheme will likely benefit lower-cost Chinese carmakers such as BYD, which is expanding across South America.&nbsp;&quot;We will see a rebound, demand will finally take off in Argentina,&quot; said Felipe Munoz, a global automotive analyst at JATO Dynamics based in Italy, referring to local EV sales.&nbsp;Argentina has the second-largest car market in South America, after Brazil, but it also has the region&#39;s smallest penetration of electric vehicles.&nbsp;From January through August 2025, only 486 electric cars out of a total of 421,000 were sold in Argentina, according to Munoz. For years, importers faced unfavorable exchange rates to import electric vehicles, forcing many consumers to buy combustion-engine cars manufactured locally.&nbsp;Argentina&#39;s overall car market as measured in new vehicles registered, jumped 60.4% in the first nine months of the year compared with a year prior, buoyed by tariff reductions and improved credit lines, industry data from September show.

Business

China’s BYD launched its electric and hybrid vehicles in Argentina after tariff cuts, expanding its South American presence as the country aims to import 50,000 EVs by 2026.

China's BYD expands South American footprint with Argentina EV launch

LONDON: South Africa&#39;s pack turned on the power in the second half to beat Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham on Saturday and win the Rugby Championship for the sixth time, ahead of New Zealand on points difference.&nbsp;The All Blacks&rsquo; 28-14 bonus-point win over Australia in Perth earlier meant that South African needed a bonus-point victory to win the title with clear water, though their overwhelming points advantage meant that any win would be enough.&nbsp;After an error-strewn start, however, they trailed 13-3 and 13-10 at halftime before two tries by Malcolm Marx and a second for Cobus Reinach enabled them to surge 29-13 ahead.&nbsp;Late scores for the Pumas made the scoreboard close but it was South Africa&#39;s day as they won back to back titles for the first time.&nbsp; They and New Zealand finished on 19 points, but South Africa&#39;s points difference was plus-57 to the All Blacks&#39; plus-eight.&nbsp; Australia ended on 11 points and Argentina 10.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s unreal, we spoke about it (lifting the trophy) the whole week. We had not won it back-to-back before. We still have a lot of improvements to make, but we are getting there,&quot; man-of-the-match Reinach said.&nbsp;&quot;We knew we would not just run out here and roll over them. It takes teams 60 or 70 minutes (to break the opposition down) and Argentina are unreal. They have a lot of dog in them, they keep fighting all game.&quot;&nbsp;Argentina takes early leadThe match at Twickenham was officially a home game for Argentina, and what they lost in support they will gain in finance via their share of the 70,300 crowd gate receipts.&nbsp;They took an early 7-0 lead via a brilliant finish by winger Bautista Delguy and though South Africa had much possession and a dominant scrum, they made a series of handling errors.&nbsp;That kept them 13-3 down late in the first half after two penalties by Santiago Carreras, switched from fly-half to fullback after last week&#39;s pummelling in Durban.&nbsp;The Springboks&rsquo; dominant scrum, however, eventually paid dividends, earning a series of penalties on the Argentina line before scrumhalf Reinach found a gap to reduce the deficit to 13-10 at the break.&nbsp;Argentina prop Mayco Visas was yellow-carded for a high hit after 43 minutes and the South African pack took immediate advantage to bundle Marx over.&nbsp;A relentless series of attacks again made space for Reinach to slip through for his second and another forward drive ended with Marx claiming a second as South Africa seemed to have taken total control at 29-13.&nbsp;Delguy snatched an interception try after 65 minutes but when Carreras struck the post with a penalty three minutes from time, the destination of the trophy was assured.&nbsp;Argentina replacement Rodrigo Isgro had the last word when he caught a lovely wide kick by Carreras to score in the corner but the vast majority of the crowd in green were celebrating as Carreras&rsquo;s conversion sailed between the posts.

Rugby

South Africa beat Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham to win the Rugby Championship for the sixth time.

South Africa beat Argentina to retain Rugby Championship title

BUENOS AIRES: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday to demand justice for three young women whose torture and murders were live-streamed on social media, in a case that has shocked Argentina. The victims&#39; relatives held a banner with their names -- &quot;Lara, Brenda, Morena&quot; -- and placards with their images, joined by several leftist groups as they marched to Parliament. Authorities said the trio was tortured and killed as part of a plan to &quot;punish&quot; them for violating a gang code, serving as a warning to others.

Articles tagged with "Argentina"