Those two assists brought Messi to 60 assists with the Argentina national team and he overtakes Neymar of Brazil and Landon Donovan of the United States as the player with the most assists ever with any national team.
The Argentine also has 114 goals with the Argentina national team, the most ever with Argentina.
Lautaro Martínez has equalled Hernán Crespo and reached 35 goals with the Argentina natioanl team.
Martínez scored two goals for Argentina in their 6-0 win against Puerto Rico as he reached 35 goals with Argentina. He is now tied for fourth all time among Argentina national team players.
Hernán Crespo is also on 35 goals and they are behind Sergio Agüero who is on 42 goals. Gabriel Batistuta is on 54 goals and Lionel Messi is the Argentina national team’s all time highest goal scorer with 114 goals.
With the Argentina national team, Lautaro scored 11 goals in World Cup qualifiers, 13 goals in friendly matches, one in the Finalissima and 10 goals at the Copa America.
Emiliano Martínez reached 40 clean sheets with the Argentina national team.
Martínez did not allow a goal in for Argentina in their 4-0 win against Puerto Rico. The Argentine did not allow a goal in Argentina’s previous 1-0 win against Venezuela.
The Argentine is now seven clean sheets away from drawing the Argnetina national team record for most ever clean sheets. Sergio Romero holds the record with 47 clean sheets.
He now has 9 clean sheets at the Copa America, three clean sheets at the World Cup, one clean sheet in the Finalissima, nine in friendly matches and 18 clean sheets in friendly matches.
Alexis Mac Allister and Lautaro Martínez both scored twice for Argentina in their 6-0 win against Puerto Rico.
Mac Allister, Martínez and Gonzalo Montiel were the goal scorers for Argentina in their win.
Argentina’s first chance on goal came from Giovani Lo Celso. It was a good team play by Lionel Scaloni’s team as Giuliano Simeone played it to Lo Celso but Lo Celso’s effort went wide.
Puerto Rico had an effort from their own half but it was saved by Emiliano Martínez. Argentina would continue to move the ball in front of goal.
Lionel Messi would have an effort on goal but it would hit the cross. The ball fell to Nicolás González and his effort bounced in front of Alexis Mac allister who scored to give Argentina the 1-0 lead.
With Argentina leading 1-0, Lionel Messi crossed the ball inside the penalty area to Gonzalo Montiel and he scored Argentina’s second goal of the match. Lionel Scaloni’s team would get another goal.
Nicolás González played a pass in the penalty area to José Manuel López. He stopped the ball and passed it to Alexis Mac Allister who scored his second goal of the match to give Argentina the 3-0 lead.
Lionel Scaloni would make two changes as he substituted in Lautaro Rivero and Aníbal Moreno for Nicolás Otamendi and Giovani Lo Celso. Messi had an effort on goal minutes later but his header was saved by the goalkeeper.
Scaloni made three more substitutions as Nico Paz, Lautaro Martínez and Nahuel Molina were substituted in for Giuliano Simeone, José Manuel López and Gonzalo Montiel.
With Argentina leading 3-0, Nicolás González had a pass into the penalty area which hit a Puerto Rican player and went in for an own goal.
Facundo Cambeses was substituted in for Emiliano Martínez.
Minutes later, Messi played a pass in to Nicolás González who gets the ball down and to Lautaro Martínez who scored to make it 5-0 for Argentina. But Messi had another assist.
At 5-0, Messi played a back heel pass to Lautaro Martínez who scored his second goal of the match to make it 6-0 for Argentina.
The Argentina national team finished their Florida tour with a 1-0 win against Venezuela and the 6-0 win against Puerto Rico. Argentina will play two friendly matches in November, one in Angola and one possibly in India.
In 2003, Walter Coni opened the Boca Juniors Restaurant in New York City. More than twenty years later, the place continues to attract both Argentines and international visitors who follow Boca Juniors.
“My name is Walter Adrián Coni. I’m the owner of Boca Juniors Restaurant, and it started in 2003,” he said. “When I first arrived in New York, I worked as a butcher. An Argentine and a Puerto Rican helped me get started. That’s how my story began here.”
From butcher shop to Boca-themed restaurant
Walter explained that his connection with Boca Juniors came from following the team on different trips.
“I used to travel with Boca everywhere, with my son too,” he said. “One day, I brought the whole Boca team to eat at the restaurant where I was working. While we were all at the table, I said I wanted to open a Boca restaurant in New York and asked if they would allow me to use the name. They said yes, and that’s how it started.”
“It’s been more than twenty years now,” he added. “They gave me permission to use the name, and I’ve always respected that.”
Matchdays and atmosphere
On matchdays, the restaurant becomes a meeting point for Boca fans in New York.
“I used to play the drums myself,” Walter said. “We have friends who bring bongos and sometimes trumpets. People come from everywhere — Americans, Japanese, Chinese — and they all join in supporting Boca”
The restaurant is decorated with memorabilia from Walter’s trips with the club. “All the decorations are from my own travels with my son. Photos, jerseys, and souvenirs from different places,” he explained.
When Boca visited New York
Walter recalled a visit from Boca Juniors in the early 2000s, when the team stopped in New York for a friendly match.
“It was around 2003 or 2004,” he said. “I brought the whole team to eat. There’s a photo in the restaurant with everyone sitting at a long table. I sent limousines to pick them up, and Carlitos Tévez came with his head out the window — we had to make the driver go around again because he didn’t want to get out.”
He also mentioned his friendships with former Boca players. “I was close with Chelo Delgado and Oscar Córdoba. We traveled together a lot. Carlitos was very young then — always joking around,” he said.
Traditional Argentine food
The restaurant serves only Argentine dishes.
“Everything is Argentine,” Walter said. “I’ve worked in the kitchen all my life. I make the chorizos, the mollejas, the chimichurri. We serve milanesa napolitana, steak, fish — everything we eat back home. For the first fifteen years, I cooked every day. Now I’ve trained my team, but I still check everything.”
Former Boca president Daniel Angelici is one of many visitors. “He used to come a lot. He really likes the milanesa napolitana,” Walter mentioned.
Visitors from different countries
Although the restaurant began as a place mainly for Argentines, it now receives people from around the world.
“At first, it was mostly Argentines,” he said. “Now people come from everywhere — Latinos, Americans, Chinese. Sometimes a Chinese visitor comes in wearing a Boca jersey. It’s amazing to see how far the club’s name has reached.”
Argentina matches and Boca passion
The restaurant also fills up when the Argentina national team plays.
“Always,” Walter said. “When Argentina plays, the place gets packed. I have flags made by the guys from La Doce that cover the entire restaurant.”
Walter has followed Boca Juniors for many years and says the restaurant helps keep that connection alive.
“It started with a simple idea,” he said. “I was lucky that Boca trusted me. I’ve always respected that and tried to represent the club the right way.
Boca Juniors Restaurant New York Address: 81-08 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, NY 11373 Phone: (718) 429-2077
