On this day in 2012, Lionel Messi scored a hat trick for Argentina in a 4-3 win against Brazil.
On June 9, 2012, Lionel Messi had his second hat trick with the Argentina national team. It was Brazil who scored the first goal to take the 1-0 lead in New Jersey.
With Brazil leading 1-0, Gonzalo Higuaín would play a pass in to Messi and he would score to draw Argentina level. Three minutes later, Ángel Di María would play a pass to Messi and he would dribble around the goalkeeper, similarly to Claudio Caniggia in 1990 against Brazil, to score and give Argentina the 2-1 lead.
Brazil would score two more goals to make 3-2 going late in the match. Alejandro Sabella’s team were awarded a corner kick and this was their chance.
Sergio Agüero would take the corner kick and it would find Federico Fernández who scored to draw Argentina level. Minutes later, there was one more goal in the match.
Lionel Messi would receive the ball down the wing and dribble towards the Brazilian team and his effort from distance would beat the goalkeeper and he would score his third goal of the match.
Messi would run towards the Argentina national team bench to celebrate with the team. There would be fireworks after the goal.
Before the end of the match, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marcelo would get into an argument, with both men getting red carded.
This was the Argentina line-up:
Romero; Clemente Rodríguez, Fernández, Garay, Zabaleta; Sosa, Mascherano, Gago, Di María; Higuaín and Messi
Agüero, Lavezzi, Hugo Campagnaro and Pablo Guiñazú were substituted into the match with Agustín Orión, Mariano Andújar, Leandro Desábato, Marcos Rojo, Matías Rodríguez, Rodrigo Braña, Augusto Fernández and Eduardo Salvio on the bench.
