Argentina cruised past Zambia 5-0 on Tuesday night at La Bombonera, another reminder from Lionel Scaloni that the world champions still possess both edge and depth as the next competitive window approaches.
The hosts led inside four minutes when Julián Álvarez finished a move sparked by Thiago Almada’s incisive pass between the visiting centre-backs, an early thrust that immediately stretched Wedson Nyirenda’s back four. Having seized control, Argentina never relented. Lionel Messi doubled the advantage in the 43rd minute, steering Alexis Mac Allister’s squared delivery home after a patient spell of possession that pulled the Zambian midfield out of shape.
Nicolás Otamendi converted a penalty in the 50th minute to extinguish any remaining suspense, the reward for the centre-back’s aggressive positioning on attacking set pieces. Scaloni turned to his bench three minutes later, sending on Rodrigo de Paul for Mac Allister, and in the 54th minute introduced Nicolás González for Nicolás Tagliafico and Valentín Barco for Leandro Paredes. Their energy helped maintain the tempo, and the pressure told in the 68th minute when Dominic Chanda turned the ball into his own net.
Argentina finished with a flourish. González, on since the 54th minute, delivered the pass that allowed Barco to score in the fourth minute of stoppage time, the youngster crowning his cameo with a composed close-range finish. By then Scaloni had already introduced Lucas Martínez Quarta for Otamendi in the 69th minute, Giuliano Simeone for Álvarez a minute later, and a triple switch on 74 minutes that brought on Nico Paz, Máximo Perrone, and Juan Musso for Almada, Enzo Fernández, and Emiliano Martínez. The structure never wavered; Argentina simply recycled fresh legs into the same possession carousel.
Tactically it was the familiar 4-3-3 shell. Paredes anchored the midfield base before his withdrawal, with Fernández stepping forward to support Almada’s drifting into the right half-space. That left Messi to operate between the lines, repeatedly drawing Wilson Chisala out of the Zambian shape. Nahuel Molina and Tagliafico, prior to his substitution, held the width and ensured Fashion Sakala and Albert Kangwanda spent more time tracking runners than launching counters. The numbers underlined the dominance: Argentina enjoyed 75 percent possession and completed 134 of 143 passes. Zambia, by contrast, connected on 37 passes and mustered only a single blocked shot across ninety minutes.
Nyirenda looked to his bench around the hour mark, introducing Owen Tembo and Patson Daka in the 60th minute, with Chanka Zimba following at 61 minutes, yet the visitors could not retain the ball long enough to release their sprinters. Tembo’s frustration eventually yielded a yellow card in the 89th minute. Later switches—Pascal Phiri for Kangwanda in the 77th minute and an 88th-minute double change that brought on Kondwani Chiboni for Obino Chisala and Frederick Mulambia for Frederick Mwimanzi—only served to limit further damage.
For Argentina the takeaway is straightforward: the senior core remains sharp, the supporting cast is growing, and Scaloni can rotate without losing fluency as June’s competitive fixtures draw nearer.
