Argentina defeated Mauritania, ranked 115th in the rankings, by 2-1 at La Bombonera, thanks to goals from Nico Paz and Enzo Fernandez in the first half.
World and South American Champions Argentina were supposed to play European Champions Spain this Friday in the Finalissima, but that game never happened. After a week-long tussle between CONMEBOL, the AFA, RFEF, and UEFA, the anticipated fixture was cancelled due to Argentina’s unwillingness to play at the Bernabeu, among other reasons.
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To replace Spain, Argentina could only manage to find opponents within Mauritania and Zambia in the final stretch of their World Cup preparations. Castilla graduate and former Real Madrid player, and perhaps primed to become a Real Madrid player again as early as this summer, Nico Paz scored Argentina’s 2nd goal from a direct free kick. The ball dipped just before the goalkeeper and found the back of the net. It was a beautiful curling shot that left even Lionel Messi impressed.
Real Madrid forward Franco Mastantuono replaced Atletico de Madrid’s Julian Alvarez in the second half. Lionel Scaloni, expectedly, made heavy rotations at half-time. Mastantuono completed 16/17 passes and made three defensive contributions.
Last year, both Nico Paz and Mastantuono seemed destined to make it to the World Cup squad of Argentina. With a stellar season at Como, Paz is still within range of the final 26, but things have changed for Mastantuono. Since Xabi Alonso’s departure, he is no longer considered a starter or a regular player off the bench at Real Madrid.