Lionel Messi delighted with Argentina win over Spain
Argentina attacker Lionel Messi today spoke of his delight after his country defeated world champions Spain 4-1 in a friendly match in Buenos Aires.
The Barcelona forward opened the scoring after just ten minutes when he raced 78 metres down the pitch before chipping over opposing goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Fellow attackers Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez both netted before half-time. Fernando Llorente was able to pull one back for the visitors as Spain passed up a host of chances before Sergio Aguero completed the rout with a header in injury-time.
Messi, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, was quoted by Spanish daily newspaper AS as saying that the victory was vital in helping to restore confidence in the national team following their disappointment at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
'Happy for victory'
He said that: "The truth is that beating the world champion makes you happy. We suffered a lot of bitterness and to reconnect with the fans in this game was very nice. I'm happy for our victory. There wasn't much in it. This team moves the ball well from side to side, but we used it quickly and did things right from the beginning. After getting it we tried to hold it. It was a complete game. Now we must move on."
Messi had lined up against several of his Barcelona colleagues, including Gerard Pique and David Villa, in the match while Xavi Hernandez and Perdo Rodriguez made appearances as substitutes.
Meanwhile, Argentina veteran Javier Zanetti has backed caretaker manager Sergio Batista after the caretaker coach guided the team to a big win. He told AS that: “Batista deserves support. He is doing his job. He is doing very well. It's time to look to the future and a win like this motivates us a lot.”
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