Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi orchestrated a hat-trick performance in the Argentina national team’s 7-0 international friendly win against Curacao on Tuesday. The PSG star scored all of his three goals in the first half of the contest, and he also logged an assist.
Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room allowed seven goals against Argentina, but he did tally nine total saves in the match, with seven saves coming from inside the box.
After the contest, Room and Messi swapped shirts.
Messi and Curacao's goalkeeper, Eloy Room, swapping jerseys after Argentina's 7-0 win.
Respect 💯 pic.twitter.com/GT6z5p19Qg
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 29, 2023
Speaking to TyC Sports following the fixture, Room took some time to reveal what Messi told him when he swapped shirts with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“It was a tough game, he scored some goals on me, but I also saved some good shots from him,” Room said. “After the game, he told me that too, that I had good saves. That means a lot for me.”
Overall, Argentina tallied 27 total shots in the match, with 15 of them coming in the first half.
Messi combined for five goal contributions over Argentina’s wins against Panama and Curacao in the March international break.
