Manager Lionel Scaloni insisted Argentina’s core footballing DNA remains untouched after the reigning world champions cruised to a comfortable 2-0 warm-up victory over Honduras at Kyle Field in Texas.
Despite fielding an experimental lineup loaded with younger players and choosing to leave superstar Lionel Messi on the bench as he recovers from a hamstring issue, the Albiceleste completely dominated the tempo from start to finish.
Speaking directly after the match, Scaloni made it clear that maintaining their tactical blueprint outweighs individual personnel.
“Maybe it could have been done better, but as for the team’s hallmark, its identity, I think it remains intact, and that’s the most important thing,” Scaloni said.
“That’s what we’re looking for, in the end, not to break that identity.”
The reigning World Cup champions broke the deadlock in College Station in the 37th minute. After former Tottenham man Giovani Lo Celso struck the post, Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down in the penalty area trying to collect the rebound.
Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez stepped up, driving the spot-kick low to his left past Honduras keeper Edrick Menjivar.
Martinez turned provider just nine minutes into the second half, pulling off an intelligent backheel inside the box to tee up Atletico Madrid’s Giuliano Simeone, who timed his run perfectly to fire home and double the lead.
Argentina dominated the final statistics with 72% possession and 17 shots to Honduras’ three, with the Central American side failing to register a single shot on target or cross the halfway line for long stretches of the second period.
Scaloni rotated heavily after the second goal, introducing the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, and Cristian Romero for the final half-hour.
Argentina will now travel to Auburn, Alabama, to face Iceland on Tuesday, June 9, for their final warm-up fixture – a match Scaloni indicated Messi could feature in briefly – before kicking off their World Cup against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.
