Angel Di Maria scored, marking Lionel Messi's return to international play after a six-month hiatus, leading Argentina to a 1-0 win over Ecuador in a Copa America preparatory match on Sunday.
Messi, sidelined for the first half, came on for Di Maria in the 56th minute. A right hamstring injury had prevented the eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient and Inter Miami star from playing in Argentina's prior two Copa America preparatory games against El Salvador and Costa Rica in March.
While Messi was on the bench, Di Maria netted a goal from Christian Romero's back pass in the 40th minute.
This goal was Di Maria's second in a row in international play, having also scored against Costa Rica on March 26. This brought his total to 31 goals for Argentina, equaling Gonzalo Higuain for the fifth-highest tally in the nation's history and placing him just four behind Diego Maradona, who is fourth.
Argentina, the current World Cup and Copa America titleholder, has not lost to Ecuador in their last seven encounters, a record that goes back to 2019.
UP NEXT
Argentina: Coach Lionel Scaloni's team will conclude its pre-Copa America fixtures in Washington D.C. on Friday with a friendly against Guatemala, followed by the tournament's group stage opener against Canada on June 20.
Ecuador: The team has two more international friendlies against Bolivia on Wednesday and Honduras on June 16, before starting their Copa America campaign against Venezuela on June 22.
