Argentina beats Honduras 2-0 in pre-World Cup friendly
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Argentina defeated Honduras 2-0 in a friendly match ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
- Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring with a penalty, and Giuliano Simeone added a second goal.
- Argentina will play one more friendly against Iceland before their World Cup debut.
Argentina secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras in their first of two friendly matches scheduled before the 2026 World Cup. The game took place at Kyle Field in Texas, United States, one of the tournament's future venues.
Lautaro Martínez broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, converting a penalty kick with power. The spot-kick was awarded after a foul on Nicolás Tagliafico inside the box, which required VAR confirmation. This goal marked Martínez's 37th in 76 appearances for the national team. Before the penalty, Giovani Lo Celso's shot hit the crossbar, and the rebound led to the foul on Tagliafico.
Argentina extended their lead in the second half with a spectacular goal from Giuliano Simeone in the 54th minute. The striker finished a well-worked team move, receiving a backheel pass from Lautaro Martínez after a series of quick one-touch passes involving Nicolás Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, and Lo Celso.
Following this match against Honduras, Argentina is set to play their final warm-up game against Iceland on Tuesday. These friendlies serve as preparation for their World Cup debut on June 16 against Algeria in Group J.
Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.