2022 World Cup winners Argentina continue their triumphant homecoming with their second game on home soil since lifting the trophy in Qatar. It took Lionel Scaloni’s men until the final 15 minutes to score both goals against Panama in their last outing (W 2-0), yet they bossed possession and kept the opposition from managing a single shot on target, so the win never appeared in doubt.
The Argentina squad now head north to Santiago del Estero, where approximately 39,000 tickets sold out in fewer than two minutes! Fans will expect nothing less than the World Cup holders to flex their muscles once again, this time against 117th-ranked Curaçao, who arrive here with little hope of staining La Albiceleste’s incredible record since July 2019 (W33, D10, L1).
Remco Bicentini’s side may feel a little downtrodden after they were consigned to CONCACAF Nations League relegation by Canada last week, a 2-0 defeat which extended their losing run to four games. In fact, Honduras are the only side Curaçao have beaten since June 2021 (W1, D2, L8) and with most of the games during that run against much lesser opponents, this looks set to be a very tough evening for the tiny island nation.
Never before have Curaçao played a top-two ranked nation in world football since they succeeded the Netherlands Antilles more than a decade ago. Bicentini brought in no fewer than six new players in an attempt to save their Nations League season, yet they were ineffective against Canada and the Netherlands-eligible contingent of new boys will likely struggle here, particularly if their defence concedes before half-time as they did in seven of their last eight internationals.
Players to watch: Lionel Messi scored his 800th career goal in the aforementioned win over Panama and to recognise his achievements in football, the Argentina FA have renamed the national team’s training facility after him. Speaking of milestones, Rotterdam-born Rangelo Janga could become Curaçao’s outright highest scorer with a 15th international goal, and that may not be unrealistic as he scored in five of his last seven appearances for Romanian club CFR Cluj.
Hot stat: There has been a red card shown in three of Curaçao last six internationals.
