Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in Messi's farewell match
Version 2: The farewell match has now been played: Argentina beat Benin 3-0, the result reports say, confirming the previews' indication that this was Messi's last game for the national team.
In short
Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly that was Lionel Messi's final match for the national team, Interfax reported. RIA Novosti said Argentina won by a large margin in the farewell game. Previews by RBC and TASS had flagged the fixture a day earlier; neither named a venue.
Read the full story 1 min read
Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly that was Lionel Messi's last match for the national team, Interfax reported. RIA Novosti reported that Argentina won by a large margin in the farewell match for Messi, without giving a score in its headline. [ 3 , 4 ]
The fixture had been flagged a day earlier. TASS named Benin as the opponent and said the game would be played on the night of 6-7 October, describing it as a match that would forever enter football history. RBC called it the farewell game of the Argentine captain and placed it on the night of 7 October. [ 1 , 2 ]
Neither preview named a venue or a kick-off time. The result was reported early on 7 October, first by RIA Novosti at 04:29 local time and then by Interfax at 04:40. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The farewell of Argentina's captain is a globally followed football event, and two tier-1 Russian outlets treated the result as immediate news, with a further business outlet and official agency previewing it. The documents report only the outcome and the fact of Messi's exit from the national team; they give no detail on what follows for Argentina.
Key facts
- Argentina beat Benin 3-0 in a friendly that was Messi's last match for the national team, Interfax reported. [ 4 ]
- RIA Novosti reported Argentina won by a large margin in Messi's farewell match. [ 3 ]
- TASS named Benin as the opponent and said the match would be played on the night of 6-7 October. [ 2 ]
- RBC called it the farewell game of the Argentine captain and placed it on the night of 7 October. [ 1 ]
- Both previews were published on 6 October, and the result was reported early on 7 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The score and exact result detail from RIA Novosti's account. RIA Novosti's item carries no summary text; its headline says only that Argentina won by a large margin, while Interfax gives the score as 3-0.
- The exact date and kick-off time of the match. RBC said the night of 7 October and TASS said the night of 6 to 7 October; no kick-off time is given.
- The venue or city of the match. None of the documents states where it was played.
- Whether Messi scored, and who else played or scored. The documents report only the result and that it was his last match.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RBC publishes its preview of Messi's farewell match for Argentina. [ 1 ]
- TASS publishes its preview, naming Benin as the opponent and the night of 6-7 October as the match window. [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that Argentina won by a large margin in Messi's farewell match. [ 3 ]
- Interfax reports that the farewell match ended in a 3-0 Argentina win over Benin. [ 4 ]