A hat-trick from Lionel Messi saw Argentina beat Bolivia in the 2022 World Cup qualifying game, and the Paris Saint-Germain star to break the record for international goals in South America .
Facing a hard-working Bolivia, Messi scored in the 14th, 64th and 88th minutes, cheering the 25,000 spectators at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, open to the public for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes and Marcos Acuña had good chances but their actions failed in the trenches of the Bolivian defense.
“I waited for this a long time”
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Now to take advantage of it, it’s a unique moment after having waited so long, I’m very happy, ”said the striker overwhelmed by emotion to the point of bursting into tears.
Messi, who was the 153rd selection for the Argentina team, thus beats the legendary Brazilian Pelé’s record with 79 goals for the national team, which was 77 goals.
The selected world record holder is Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal with 111 goals in 180 appearances, the most recent against Ireland last week.
The players raised their arms towards the stands which were only 30% occupied due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “People are crazy (with joy). Everything is linked, the national team which has just been champion of the Copa America “, said Messi referring to the access restrictions in the stadiums because of the health restrictions.
With 18 points, Argentina is second behind Brazil, who won 2-0 Thursday against Peru. Bolivia, it no longer has any chance of qualifying
