Chicago: One, two and finally three — contained quite neatly in a span of 19 minutes. A dazzling display for Lionel Messi on a warm Friday night.
Once Argentina put the monster in the game, it was all over for Panama.
Messi scored three second-half goals in his return from a back injury, and Argentina clinched a spot in the knockout round of the Copa America Centenario with a 5-0 victory over an overwhelmed Panama team weakened by a flood of yellow cards.
“Happy, happy to be back, to be able to play after resting for some time,” Messi said. “I really wanted to play ... for the outcome, for the goals. Very happy, to be honest.”
Messi replaced Augusto Fernandez in the 61st minute, drawing a big ovation from a sea of No. 10 Argentina jerseys and the familiar colors of Barcelona, his club team. A few minutes later, the five-time Fifa Player of the Year got right back to work.
First, Roderick Miller’s clearing attempt for Panama went off Gonzalo Higuain’s hands as he went to protect his face and right to Messi, who took a couple dribbles and then beat Jaime Penedo on the ground to the goaltender’s right side. Then Messi sent a curling free kick from about 24 yards into the top left corner of the goal in the 78th minute, making it 3-0 and drawing gasps from the crowd of 53,885 at the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
A left-footed chip past Penedo on the goaltender’s right side finished off Messi’s fourth international hat trick, joining friendlies against Switzerland and Brazil in 2012, and Guatemala in 2013. It also ran Messi’s total to 53 international goals, just three away from Gabriel Batistuta’s Argentine record.
