Lionel Messi scored for Inter Miami in their 1-0 win against Sporting KC in the Champions Cup.
Messi got his first official goal of the new year in the win against Sporting KC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. With the score at 0-0, Messi chested the ball down inside the penalty area, controlled it and scored iwth his right foot to give Inter Miami the 1-0 lead.
That goal gives them the win and the 1-0 lead going into Tuesday’s second leg.
Pablo Maffeo has stated that he will wait for a call up from the Argentina national team.
Maffeo is born in Spain to an Argentine mother and an Italian father but has stated that he would not play for Spain. The 27 year old right back is eligible to represent the Argentina national team and was called up in November 2023 for World Cup qualifying matches but did not play a match. Speaking in an interview with La Zona 10, here is what he had to say:
“I wouldn’t go with Spain because I would wait until I could get a call from Argentina. They were the first to knock on my door.”
“I would go before Italy than Spain. I have Argentina in my head…”
The Argentina national team will play Uruguay and Brazil in World Cup qualifying matches in March.
Julián Carranza scored for Feyenoord in their 1-1 away draw against AC Milan, securing his team’s qualification for the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
With AC Milan leading 1-0, the Argentine forward came off the bench in the 64th minute. Just nine minutes later, Carranza received a cross from the left side by Hugo Bueno and powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box, leveling the game at 1-1.
The Dutch team had won the first leg 1-0 at home, and this draw at San Siro sealed their place in the next round of the Champions League.
The Argentina U20 national team lost 3-2 against Paraguay in the final match of the Sudamericano hexagonal stage, missing out on the championship title. The tournament, held in Venezuela, secured Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay spots in the U20 World Cup in Chile later this year.
Heading into the final matchday, Argentina needed a victory by at least four goals to overtake Brazil, who had earlier defeated Chile 3-0. However, Diego Placente’s team fell short of the required margin, allowing Brazil—despite their 6-0 loss to Argentina in the group stage—to claim the title.
The news of Brazil’s victory appeared to impact Argentina’s performance. Paraguay dominated early, and though the halftime score was just 1-0—thanks to a goal from Luca Kmet—the deficit could have been larger due to Paraguay’s poor finishing.
Early in the second half, Paraguay extended their lead through Tiago Caballero, putting Argentina’s hopes out of reach as they now needed six goals. Placente’s squad responded, as Vélez forward Maher Carrizo scored twice to level the score. However, just as Argentina looked set to complete the comeback and end the tournament with a win, Diego León scored for Paraguay, securing the victory.
Argentina finished the Sudamericano as runners-up with 10 points, having remained unbeaten until yesterday’s loss. Brazil won the trophy with 13 points, while Colombia and Paraguay finished just behind Argentina with nine. Uruguay and Chile, with one point each, rounded out the table, though Chile had already secured World Cup qualification as the host nation.
Matías Soulé scored a free kick for AS Roma in their 1-0 win against Parma.
Soulé got his first goal for AS Roma since November and his second of the season. With the score at 0-0, AS Roma were awarded a free kick and it was the Argentine who would curl it into the top corner and score to give AS Roma the 1-0 lead.
