Argentina staved off a strong rally by Australia to win 4-2 and qualify for the semi-finals in the Confederations Cup.
The historic Maracana stadium has hosted two World Cup finals, in 1950 and 2014, and saw Messi and his squad become 2021 Copa America champions by beating Brazil 1-0.
A terrific raiding performance by England saw them record a comfortable 68-28 win over Argentina in the Group A clash of the Kabaddi World Cup at the The Arena by TransStadia` in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Messi mania highlights 'epic' year for MLS, Garber says
In total, he has scored 788 career goals.
Lionel Messi says Argentina have felt the presence of the late, great Diego Maradona throughout their World Cup campaign, including on Friday when they beat the Netherlands on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
Franz Beckenbauer was for decades synonymous with Germany's success on the pitch, as player and then coach.
Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella heaped praise on his team after Sunday's 1-0 World Cup final defeat by Germany on Sunday, saying they gave their all but lacked cutting edge in front of goal during an even game.
A sense of euphoria was in the air in the country, particularly in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo, where thousands of jubilant fans crowded to watch the match on a giant screen in the park.
David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank trounced Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 6-4 6-2 6-3 to secure Argentina's first point of the Davis Cup final on Saturday and keep the best-of-five tie alive ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
Argentina's impressive opening qualifying victory over Chile last week was soon forgotten when the two-time World Cup winners were handed a humiliating 1-0 defeat by Venezuela on Tuesday.
An overview of contenders in the race for top scorer at the 2022 World Cup.
Sergio Aguero, in fine scoring form for Manchester City this season, looks set to lead Argentina's attack in next month's World Cup qualifiers after being recalled to their squad on Friday.
Argentina coach Alfio Basile quit on Thursday, the day after an embarrassing 2010 World Cup qualifying defeat to Chile, the Argentina Football Association (AFA) said. Basile's sudden decision to end his second stint in the job came after his repeated failure to galvanise a team that boasts some of the world's most talented players, including Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.
Lionel Messi may often be criticized for not showing the same spark for his country Argentina as for his club Barcelona, but the national team's midfielder Jonas Gutierrez and defender Pablo Zabaleta feel that the Argentine superstar gives his 100 per cent while representing his nation.
"Our team fulfils our dreams!" and "Where is Messi? We beat him!", the green-clad Saudis chanted over and over in the Lusail Stadium, on their feet and greeting every clearance, including one headed off the goal line with a deafening roar.
A last minute goals gave the south Americans a 1-0 victory in the third place play-off.
Belgium set up an intriguing men's Olympic hockey final against Argentina after they dumped out the world's second-ranked team the Netherlands with a resounding 3-1 semi-final victory on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi had a penalty saved as Brazil continued their defensive rehabilitation under returning coach Dunga with a morale-boosting 2-0 win over old adversaries Argentina in a feisty friendly in Beijing, on Saturday.
Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero will miss Argentina's final South American World Cup qualifier against Uruguay on Tuesday as the team who have already booked their place at next year's finals prepare to field yet more reserves.
These heart-rendering moments were grace personified and will stay in the memory of every football fan, irrespective of allegiances.
Sukanya Verma lists everything you can watch.
The Indian women's hockey team suffered a humiliating 0-5 loss against higher-ranked Argentina in their final Pool B fixture to end their campaign at the Rio Olympics.
Lionel Messi's goals have fired Argentina into the World Cup last 16 but they will look for a better all-round performance when they meet Switzerland.
Indian forwards squandered innumerable scoring chances to see the visitors go down 0-2 to Argentina in the third hockey Test at the Estadio Panamericano in Mar del Plata (Argentina) on Thursday.
The Indian hockey team succumbed to its second straight defeat, going down 2-4 in the final match to allow Argentina level the four-match Test series in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, on Friday. A shaky defence and a profligate forward line let down India as Sandeep Singh and his men squandered a 2-1 lead and conceded three second half goals to share honours in the four-match series, which they led 2-0 at the midway stage.
Deepak Thakur's brace scripted India's 2-1 win against Argentina in the first Test of the four-match Series at the Panam National Stadium at Mar del Plata on Monday.
Brazil will play Argentina in two friendlies next month, one in each country, with teams picked from the domestic leagues, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Wednesday.
Defending champions Argentina and five-time world champions Brazil remained on course for a semi-final showdown in the men's football competition at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
The 2003 World Cup winners, expected to battle with Argentina for top spot in Pool B, needed a late try from replacement scrumhalf Ben Youngs to eke out a 13-9 victory in a tough encounter in the new indoor Otago Stadium.
It is a mistake to compare Argentina with Barcelona as the Spanish club have been working as a unit for a lot longer, Lionel Messi said on Thursday.
Counterpoint Research estimates that Xiaomi will end CY23 with a volume market share in CY23 to 15 per cent, pushing the Chinese company, which has faced numerous challenges and scrutiny from investigative agencies, to the third place.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni would love to see the superstar -- who is one of only six players to compete in five World Cups -- suit up for the next World Cup.
Sporadic incidents of violence reported from various parts of Kerala following Argentina win
Teenager Juan Martin del Potro, making his Davis Cup home debut, demolished a listless Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to put Argentina 2-0 ahead in their semi-final against Russia on Friday. David Nalbandian drew first blood for Argentina with a 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Igor Andreev.
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