• Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina beat Honduras 3-0 on Friday in Miami.
• Argentina extended winning streak to 34 games with two goals in second half.

Lionel Messi scored twice as Argentina thrashed Honduras 3-0 on Friday in Miami as they continued to hone their techniques.

In advance of the next international competition in Qatar.

From the first whistle, Messi was in the heart of the action, lobbing a pass to the rushing Papu Gomez, who found Lautaro Martinez for an early 1-0 advantage.

Deybi Flores of Honduras smashed into the 35-year-old Messi in the 39th minute, causing him to fall to the ground face down and earning him a yellow card.

The Honduras players were immediately confronted by Messi’s teammates, and the teams traded insults before refraining from exchanging blows. The captain of Argentina continued to play.

Giovani Lo Celso of Argentina was fouled by Marcelo Santos near the conclusion of the first half, and Messi calmly converted the resulting penalty to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, Argentina maintained the pressure on, extending their winning streak to 34 games.

In the 69th minute, Enzo Fernandez stole the ball, and Messi received it precisely to chip it over the goalkeeper to the joy of the Hard Rock Stadium crowd.

In the last seconds of the game, Messi attempted a challenging leaping shot in an effort to continue entertaining his supporters, but it missed the mark. However, the crowd erupted in jubilation.

Argentina’s next match is a friendly against Jamaica in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Argentina, who have won the World Cup twice, is one of the favorites to win it all in Qatar and will face Saudi Arabia in their opening group stage game on November 22.

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