Argentina vs Benin result and highlights
Argentina beat Benin 3-0 at the Más Monumental on 6 October 2026 in Lionel Messi’s international farewell. Messi assisted the first two goals and converted a 71st-minute penalty for his 126th Argentina goal. The full-time score, the scorers and the reaction are below.
| Score | Argentina 3–0 Benin (half-time 0–0) |
|---|---|
| Scorers | Otamendi 48′, Paz 61′, Messi (pen) 71′ |
| Highlights | Written report below; use the official broadcaster for legal clips |
| Kick-off | 20:00 Argentina time (23:00 UTC) |
| Venue | Estadio Más Monumental, Buenos Aires |
| Referee | Fernando Véjar (Chile) |
| Attendance | Sold out (85,018) |
Full-time score
Argentina 3-0 Benin. The farewell ended the way the Monumental demanded: a clean sheet, three second-half goals and Lionel Messi on the scoresheet in his 208th and final Argentina appearance. Benin, ranked 93rd and missing captain Steve Mounié, held the line for 45 minutes before the second half broke open.
Scorers
| 48′ | Nicolás Otamendi (Argentina) — header from Messi’s corner |
|---|---|
| 61′ | Nico Paz (Argentina) — left-footed curler, set up by Messi |
| 71′ | Lionel Messi (Argentina, penalty) — after Giay was brought down in the box |
Messi assisted the first two: his corner picked out Otamendi at the near post for the opener, and his pass released 22-year-old Nico Paz for a curled second that looked like the future wearing the No. 10’s old tricks. The penalty, smashed past Marcel Dandjinou, was Messi’s 126th goal in 208 Argentina caps — both national records.
How the night unfolded
The first half was a tribute with a football match inside it: play stopped in the 10th minute for a stadium-wide ovation, Messi had four shots without finding the net, and Dibu Martínez had to come off his line more than once as Benin countered. The score stayed 0-0 to the break.
Three minutes after the restart, Messi’s corner found Otamendi, who nodded in the opener and lifted his old teammate off the ground in celebration. Otamendi was substituted in the 52nd minute to a huge ovation of his own — his own farewell within the farewell. Paz, on as a substitute, curled in the second in the 61st, and when Giay was fouled in the box in the 69th, Messi buried the penalty in the 71st. Benin changed goalkeeper in the 76th, Saturnin Allagbé replacing Dandjinou. Messi stayed on for the full 90, and at the final whistle the referee handed him the match ball along with the red and yellow cards.
Stats and ratings
The official data sheet for this friendly has not been published in full; the numbers below are the match facts that matter. Player marks are this desk’s opinion after watching the broadcast, on a 1 to 10 scale.
| Lionel Messi | 9 — two assists, the penalty, played the full 90 |
|---|---|
| Nicolás Otamendi | 8 — the opener, then the 52nd-minute ovation |
| Nico Paz | 8 — a beauty of a second, off the bench |
| Marcel Dandjinou | 7 — kept Benin in it for an hour |
| Emiliano Martínez | 7 — alert whenever Benin broke |
How the farewell played out
Messi played the full 90 minutes — Scaloni never took him off, and the ovation waited for the final whistle instead. His three sons walked out with him before kick-off; Di María and Agüero watched from the sidelines. After the match came the ceremony: a drone show, a performance from folk singer Soledad Pastorutti, and Messi addressing the crowd. He said he was thankful for everything, wished his late father could have been there to see the send-off, and defended the 2026 World Cup final run — “we were very close and honestly nothing weird happened,” as reported by USA Today.
How to tell a real highlight from a fake one
A real highlight has a rights holder’s name on it. In Argentina that name is TyC Sports or Telefe. Telefe and MiTelefe are the free routes there. In Britain and Ireland the name is Premier Sports. In the United States it is ViX, with TUDN Radio on commentary, not FOX and not Telemundo, who showed the World Cup. In India the live stream is Zee5, and Zee5 has not said whether that stream is free. Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Nigeria and a long list of other countries still have no friendly broadcaster named. A channel that showed Argentina in July is not automatically showing Benin in October.
Highlights on this page means the written report above plus a pointer to a legal video, not a ripped upload. In Argentina the match was on TyC Sports and Telefe. In the UK and Ireland it was on Premier Sports. In the US the live stream was on ViX. When a rights holder posts the goals, that is the clip to use. A countdown file on a strange site is not.
Conclusion
The Last Tango ended 3-0 to Argentina, with Messi scoring and setting up twice in his final international match. The night belonged to him from the 10th-minute ovation to the post-match ceremony — and the result belonged to the team he is leaving behind. For the full story of the night, read the farewell match report.
Questions people ask
Who won Argentina vs Benin?
Argentina won 3-0 on 6 October 2026 at the Más Monumental in Lionel Messi’s final international match.
What is the Argentina vs Benin score?
Full time: Argentina 3-0 Benin (half-time 0-0).
Where can I watch the highlights?
Use the official broadcaster. In Argentina that is TyC Sports and Telefe. The written report is on this page.
Did Messi score in his farewell?
Yes — a 71st-minute penalty, his 126th Argentina goal, and he assisted the other two goals.
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