If, as widely believed, this was to be Lionel Messi’s final international on home soil, he wasted no time in making an impact, registering his eighth assist in nine internationals at La Bombonera.
Just three minutes in, he played a pass to the feet of Julian Alvarez, who fired into the bottom-left corner past a helpless Willard Mwanza, putting them on an early course to make it five straight wins. Alvarez might then have turned provider seven minutes later, but his attempted ball at the end of a smart move ended up being intercepted.
Predictably for a side that had conceded three or more times - and lost - in every prior game against a non-African side this decade, Zambia offered virtually nothing in response. And despite the hosts not shifting much beyond second gear, Messi doubled his side’s advantage a minute before the interval, when Alexis Mac Allister played a fantastic through ball to him, with the iconic forward duly firing into the bottom-right corner at close range.
Any fanciful hopes Zambia might have had in terms of snatching a result were finally snuffed out for good just five minutes into the second half.
Having seen an earlier shot fly wildly over the bar, Albert Kangwanda brought down Thiago Almada with a clumsy challenge inside the box, but rather than take the penalty as expected, Messi handed the ball to vice captain Nicolás Otamendi - a potential passing of the torch moment - and the Benfica man effortlessly fired his spot kick down the middle after a calm and steady run up.
With an 11th win in 13 matches now all but assured - alongside an extension of Zambia’s 100% losing record against South American opponents to a fifth game - the Argentine showboating duly resumed, and the gulf widened further on 68’, though there was little that could be done about Argentina’s fourth.
Clever interplay between Valentin Barco and Almada saw the latter burst into the box and attempt a cross into the mix, only for the ball to deflect into the net off Dominic Chanda’s head, as he attempted to intercept.
It was ultimately men against boys, and a mere workout for the defending world champions, who added a fifth deep into stoppage time via Barco. With this result, they racked up a 26th clean sheet in 31 victories since they lifted the World Cup in December 2022. Meanwhile, Zambia’s improbable moment of glory against a South American giant will have to wait - they’ve now conceded at least twice in their last five friendlies.