The evening ended with a convincing Argentina win, as they defeated Benin by three goals to nil. Messi found the net during the match, adding a central sporting moment to a game already marked by the farewell.
Tributes to Messi were organized before and after the final whistle. Sources agree in describing an emotional atmosphere, with the crowd taking part in the farewell to the Argentine star.
Sky News places the match in Buenos Aires and describes it as a particularly intense farewell evening. The Argentine city thus provided the backdrop for the match identified in reports as Messi’s last with the national team.
India Today also reports that Messi’s fans and family were present during the farewell. The available material adds no details about their location or the precise proceedings of the commemorative moments.
In terms of his performance, Messi’s goal came in a productive match for Argentina. Al Jazeera reports that the player also created two other goals; the available information does not specify whether these were assists.
The result therefore combined the significance of the scoreline with the symbolic dimension of the farewell: a 3-0 victory and a goal from the protagonist in the match described as his last with Argentina.
The sources describe the game as Messi’s last match with the national team, but the material provided contains no separate official confirmation of an international retirement. What remains documented, however, is the farewell accompanied by tributes and the victory over Benin.