sport news Italy 0-3 Argentina: Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala seal ... trends now
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There are signs the magic may be starting to fade but Lionel Messi proved once more he still has what it takes to sell out Wembley Stadium and keep Argentina dreaming in a World Cup year.
Messi's sheer presence lured more than 87,000 to see his team take on Italy in London. The bulk of the fans were in Argentine blue and white and he did not disappoint, turning on the style to set up the first and third goals in a 3-0 win, and finding a mesmerising purple patch of form in second half.
He will be 35 later this month and scored only 11 goals in a disappointing first season at Paris Saint-Germain but blamed his slow start in France on long-Covid after contracting the virus at the turn of the year.
It would be foolish to write off the seven-time Balon D'or winner just yet. Not when he can still conjure such flashes of brilliance as he did against the Italians, on what could be his final appearance in London.
This was the fixture hailed as 'Finalissima', a prestige showdown between the champions of Europe and South America for the shiny new trophy paraded on the pitch before kick-off by legends of the two nations Marco Tardelli and Javier Zanetti.
For Italy, it presented the chance to begin the rebuilding process after the embarrassment of failing to reach the World Cup finals, for a second time in succession, this time knocked out in the play-offs by North Macedonia.
They will not be in Qatar in November and December, and this game was viewed as the end of a natural cycle before boss Roberto Mancini starts to build a new team with Euro 2024 in mind.
The new-look Azzurri will be back in England to face Gareth
