The 24-year-old Barcelona striker enthralled the crowd at the 120,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium with his dribbles and magical left foot, bringing the fans to their feet every time he touched the ball.
It was from a Messi corner that full-back Nicolas Otamendi headed in the game’s only goal on the 67th minute.
“Messi is a great player,” said Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella after what was his first match in charge of the two-time World Cup winners.
“He is extraordinary with the ball. His every move is watched closely, still he manages to pull off those amazing feats. We are lucky to have the best player in the world in our ranks.”
Messi came close to scoring twice in an entertaining first-half, while Angel Di Maria failed to convert a Messi assist in the ninth minute despite having only Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo to beat.
Venezuela provided more of a threat after the break, with Sergio Romero forced into action to deny Cesar Gonzalez.
That helped ease the anxiety of Sabella, who was looking to get off to a good start after replacing Sergio Batista as coach in the wake of Argentina’s disappointing performance at the Copa America on home soil in July.
The 14-time Copa winners were knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals by Uruguay, triggering a wave of criticism from home fans desperate to see their team break an 18-year title drought.
Friday’s game marked a new start for Argentina as they seek to rebuild ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and if they ever needed any extra motivation for winning this game it came from the fans who waved Argentina flags and brought the house down with their constant cheering of Messi’s men.
Less fancied Venezuela were fresh from reaching the semi-finals of the Copa America for the first time but they failed to capitalise on the chances that came their way.
“We had several chances to score but we were a little unlucky,” said Venezuela coach Cesar Farias. “But we proved that we can be competitive in a close match.
“Some of our key players like Juan Arango were missing. We are using the friendlies to try out new players. We are happy that we were able to control the game and have an even match.
“We have some important matches ahead including one against Argentina during the South American qualifiers for the World Cup 2014. We hope to give a good account of ourselves in qualification which is very important for us.”
Venezuela are the only South American nation to have never made it to the World Cup.
Argentina, hoping to build up a loyal following across southern Asia, now head to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka for another friendly match, against Nigeria, on September 6.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Dynamo Dresden vs Verl 2 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Erzgebirge Aue vs DSC Arminia Bielefeld 4 minutes ago |
|
BB3030
posts a Over/Under - 1st Half tip on HJK vs EIF 5 minutes ago |
|
BB3030
posts a Over/Under - 1st Half tip on HJK vs EIF 5 minutes ago |
|
chapgw
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Botoşani vs Voluntari 5 minutes ago |
|
chapgw
posts a In-Play Both Teams to Score tip on Botoşani vs Voluntari 5 minutes ago |
|
Arnal
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Song Lam Nghe An vs Ha Noi 6 minutes ago |
|
Arnal
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Song Lam Nghe An vs Ha Noi 6 minutes ago |
|
BB3030
posts a 1X2 tip on VfB Stuttgart vs FC Bayern München 7 minutes ago |
|
BB3030
posts a 1X2 tip on VfB Stuttgart vs FC Bayern München 7 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
Real Murcia U19 vs Valencia U19 |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
Atletico Madrid W vs Atletico Granadilla W |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
Song Lam Nghe An vs Ha Noi |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
Abia Warriors |
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
I like soccer punter because it's free, enjoyable and no risk taking, you just give out your predictions without any charges,also it gives rewards to its members and upgrade them to platninum levels.
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: