Messi sits out Argentina’s pre-World Cup friendly due to hamstring strain

Lionel Messi sat retired Argentina’s affable lucifer against Honduras arsenic helium continues to negociate musculus fatigue and a mild strain successful his near hamstring successful beforehand of the upcoming World Cup.

Messi, who turns 39 successful 3 weeks, was progressive aft warming up with his teammates astatine Kyle Field connected the field of Texas A&M earlier the crippled connected Saturday night. He stayed connected the bench, though, watching from the sidelines arsenic Argentina won 2-0.

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The squad has said Messi’s betterment time volition beryllium connected “his objective and functional progress.”

Messi was diagnosed with musculus fatigue successful his near hamstring by his Major League Soccer (MLS) nine Inter Miami aft helium made an abrupt exit from Miami’s 6-4 triumph implicit Philadelphia successful the 73rd infinitesimal precocious past month.

Argentina adjacent play Iceland successful Auburn, Alabama, connected Tuesday successful a last World Cup tune-up earlier resuming their grooming successful Kansas City, wherever the Albiceleste volition statesman their World Cup rubric defence against Algeria astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected June 16.

During workouts successful Kansas City connected Wednesday, Messi came to the signifier tract aft the remainder of the squad and did immoderate conditioning enactment disconnected to the side.

Messi, who is wide expected to discontinue from planetary shot aft the tournament, holds the grounds for astir World Cup matches (26) and needs 4 much goals to surpass Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s World Cup grounds of 16.

Big guns triumph friendlies days earlier World Cup

Meanwhile, multi-champions Brazil and Germany besides won their preparatory games, though by tiny margins, with erstwhile champions England and hopeful Portugal securing victories, arsenic well.

The engaged time of friendlies saw immoderate of the biggest players connected display, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Vini Jr and Mohamed Salah playing.

Five-time champions Brazil bushed Egypt 2-1 successful Cleveland, with Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes scoring aboriginal from wrong the container and Lyon guardant Endrick adding successful the 2nd fractional aft an assistance from Barcelona’s Raphinha. Zico scored for Egypt, portion Salah played the archetypal fractional and seemed to beryllium successful bully form.

(Al Jazeera)

There was immoderate drama, with Brazil and AS Roma right-back Wesley leaving the tract successful tears aft what appeared to beryllium a superior musculus wounded successful the near leg, which mightiness instrumentality him retired of the World Cup. Teams tin alteration players up to 1 time earlier their archetypal games.

Harry Kane’s first-half header earned England a 1-0 triumph implicit New Zealand successful Tampa, portion determination were besides victories for Scotland and Belgium arsenic teams fine-tune earlier the tournament’s kickoff adjacent week.

With England manager Thomas Tuchel rotating his full squad astatine halftime and handing minutes to 22 players successful the scorching 32-degree-Celsius (89.6-degree-Fahrenheit) heat, the effect was secondary to the process.

But Kane’s objective decorativeness with a glancing header into the bottommost country from Djed Spence’s transverse offered a timely reminder of the skipper’s value for their hopes to triumph a 2nd cup.

Four-time satellite champions Germany secured a ninth triumph successful a enactment with a 2-1 triumph implicit World Cup cohosts the United States successful Chicago.

Germany’s Leroy Sane jumps implicit Weston McKennie of the US during the planetary affable shot lucifer betwixt the USA and Germany astatine Soldier Field successful Chicago, Illinois, connected June 6, 2026 [Jamil Krzaczynski/AFP]

Kai Havertz headed successful Joshua Kimmich’s escaped footwear to springiness them a second-minute lead, but the Americans snatched a stunning equaliser erstwhile Antonee Robinson thundered successful a volley aft defender Jonathan Tah had headed distant a corner.

Leroy Sane rifled successful from 12 metres (39ft), however, to reconstruct Germany’s pb successful the 57th minute.

Portugal defeated Chile 2-1 successful an ill-tempered clash successful Oeiras, wherever some teams finished with 10 men arsenic Rafael Leao and Ivan Roman received their marching orders.

Goncalo Guedes gave the location broadside the pb earlier Bruno Fernandes added a 2nd from extracurricular the box. Lucas Cepeda scored a precocious consolation for Chile.

“We were superior successful the 90 minutes, we managed to power the crippled precise well, particularly having a batch of the shot successful the past third,” Fernandes told RTP.

Striker Romelu Lukaku continued his comeback from wounded for Belgium with 25 minutes disconnected the seat arsenic they enjoyed a 5-0 triumph implicit 10-man Tunisia successful Brussels.

Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin scored the goals arsenic Lukaku grabbed an assist.

“We wanted a bully show successful beforehand of our fans,” Belgium manager Rudi Garcia said. “It is simply a bully mentation for the World Cup, we cognize this squad tin bash large things.”

A much-changed Scotland scored each their goals successful the archetypal fractional arsenic they romped to a 4-0 occurrence implicit Bolivia successful New Jersey.

Che Adams bagged 2 to spell with strikes from Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay successful an awesome performance.

Switzerland and Australia drew 1-1, portion Bosnia and Herzegovina were held to the aforesaid scoreline by Panama.

(Al Jazeera)