Argentina goalkeeper complains about friendly match against weaker team Vietnam

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez expressed dissatisfaction with facing underestimated opponents during preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina completed their first friendly match during this March training camp with a 2-1 victory over Mauritania, a national team whose position is lower than Vietnam's national team on the FIFA rankings. Notably, this match also marked Lionel Messi's return with La Albiceleste in Buenos Aires.

Despite securing a win, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez still expressed dissatisfaction as the team had to face an underestimated opponent while preparing for their World Cup title defense journey. The Aston Villa star shared after the match: "We wanted more competitive matches. The team waited until the last minute to decide what to do, and the opponent was confirmed very late."

Initially, Argentina was scheduled to face Spain in the 2026 Finalissima. However, this plan was canceled after CONMEBOL, UEFA, and related federations could not agree on the venue.

On paper, Argentina, ranked fourth globally, is considered superior to Mauritania, ranked 115th. Although La Albiceleste took an early lead, Martinez did not hesitate to criticize the team's performance in the second half, when captain Lionel Messi was brought onto the field.

"The first half was fine; we needed time to adjust as we haven't played together for a while. But the second half was really poor. The team lacked intensity and determination. When wearing the national team jersey, we must perform better," he emphasized.

Coach Lionel Scaloni's squad started with high intensity and completely dominated the first half, with goals from Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Paz. However, the game situation changed significantly after the break.

As Martinez himself noted, the team's form noticeably declined in the second half, lacking necessary urgency, allowing Mauritania to control the ball more and score a late consolation goal.

After this victory, Messi and his teammates will next face Zambia at La Bombonera. This will be their final home match before the team travels to North America for the 2026 World Cup.