Martino hails ‘magical’ Messi
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said Lionel Messi “continues to astound” after the captain scored his 50th senior international goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory against Bolivia on Tuesday.
Messi struck the decisive second goal from the penalty spot after Gabriel Mercado had broken the deadlock. The result made it three consecutive wins for Argentina, who are now third in CONMEBOL qualifying behind Uruguay and Ecuador. Barcelona superstar Messi is just six goals behind Argentina’s record marksman Gabriel Bastituta and could reach 500 for his career in Saturday’s Clasico encounter with Real Madrid.
