Lionel Messi may be 36 years old, but at this stage of his career, the Inter Miami hero feels more inevitable than ever.
No matter what shirt he wears, no matter who lines up alongside or opposite him, no matter who stands between the posts,78th-minute free-kick goal from the Argentinian legend sent the defending FIFA World Cup champions through to victory, opening 2026 qualifying with a 1-0 win over Ecuador in Buenos Aires. The goal put Messi on the scoresheet for an eighth straight international match, and gave Argentina all three points to begin thegoal put Messi on the scoresheet for an eighth straight international match, and gave Argentina all three points to begin the expanded World Cup cycle.
Ecuador put in a true shift defensively, hemming in the Argentina attack for long stretches of the match, but as Messi stepped up to the ball with 12 minutes remaining, it seemed like a matter of time before the hosts went ahead, and seemed like a matter of time before the hosts went ahead, and that's exactly what happened.