A Victory to End the Year and Celebrate a Historic Anniversary

The Argentina national team, reigning world champions and back-to-back Copa América winners, closed out their 2025 with a solid 0–2 victory over Angola at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda. The match was part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Angolan independence and also marked Argentina’s first-ever visit to the African capital.

It wasn’t an easy match for Lionel Scaloni’s side, who faced an aggressive and intense opponent from the start. Angola pressed high, disrupted Argentina’s play and forced the visitors to adapt quickly, especially during a tense and physical first half.

Messi and Lautaro: The Usual Partners Seal the Win

The opener came in the 43rd minute, when Lionel Messi found Lautaro Martínez inside the box. The Inter striker turned quickly and finished through the legs of goalkeeper Hugo Marques, unlocking a complicated game.

In the second half, Angola pushed for an equalizer through counterattacks but never truly threatened Gerónimo Rulli, who started in place of Emiliano Martínez. Argentina remained composed and struck again in the 81st minute. This time, Lautaro assisted Messi, allowing the captain to score the final 0–2 with a precise finish.

Rotation, Experiments and Debuts on the Road to the 2026 World Cup

Scaloni used the friendly to test new ideas across all lines. Nicolás Tagliafico played as a center-back, Nicolás González took over at left-back and Juan Foyth occupied the right-back role in a defense heavily tested from the start.

In attack, the coach handed opportunities to fresh faces: Emiliano Buendía, Maximiliano Perrone and José Manuel López all featured, while young talents Gianluca Prestianni and Joaquín Panichelli made their official debuts.

With the win in Luanda, Argentina wrap up a year focused on preparation and adjustments ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The squad will now be released, while Angola will continue their schedule with a friendly against Guinea-Bissau.

Argentina end 2025 with one certainty: even in rotation, the competitive DNA of the world champions remains intact.

Here are all the goals from the match: