Messi-less Argentina bag six goals from Spain
News & Trends •
argentina might have taken the lead in the opening five minutes but striker gonzalo higuain volleyed wide from close range which was an omen of things to come1 spain sent out a warning to their world cup rivals as real madrids isco grabbed a hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of argentina who were missing the injured lionel messi in a friendly on tuesday1 it will have made uneasy viewing for coach jorge sampaoli and emphasized more than ever how reliant his side are on their talisman messi who has been struggling with a muscle problem1 should the barcelona forward be missing at any point during this years finals in russia argentina are likely to struggle judging by their meek surrender in the spanish capital1 without messi on the pitch there was room for someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and real madrids outstanding isco filled the void1 the diminutive midfielder dictated play from the centre of the pitch throughout as spain ruthlessly and consistently exploited the high argentine defensive line1 on what was supposed to be a historic night for argentina captain javier mascherano who joined javier zanetti on 142 caps as his countrys record appearance holder things quickly turned sour as diego costa thiago and iago aspas also found the net1 costa then bravely prodded in from close range after 12 minutes despite being clattered by goalkeeper sergio romero. both players required lengthy treatment and eventually left the pitch at different stages1 romeros replacement chelsea back-up willy caballero who starred in fridays 2-0 win over italy suffered a nightmare. a wayward pass with his first touch saw isco gleefully sweep home spains second in the 27th as they threatened to run riot1 defender nicolas otamendi briefly offered the visitors hope as he towered above the defense to nod in before the break1 but after the restart it was again all spain with haphazard goalkeeping and defending all contributing to a procession for the former world champions who condemned argentina to their heaviest defeat since a 2009 loss by the same score to bolivia1 spain face european champions and iberian rivals portugal as well as iran and morocco in group b at the world cup while argentina will play iceland croatia and nigeria in group d1