Argentina began their post-World Cup era with a dominant 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba. The victory, coming after their final defeat to Spain, saw Lionel Scaloni hand international debuts to five new players.
The Albiceleste controlled the match from the outset and opened the scoring in the 19th minute through Lautaro Martínez, assisted by Alexis Mac Allister. Nicolás Paz doubled the lead ten minutes later following a pass from Exequiel Palacios. In the second half, Cristian Romero made it three in the 54th minute, set up by Paz himself, before José Manuel López completed the rout six minutes from time.
Scaloni used the fixture to rotate his squad and introduce fresh talent. Román Vega, Santiago Simón, Ezequiel Fernández, Leonel Flores and Valentín Gómez all made their senior debuts for Argentina. The manager made five substitutions in the second period, allowing the newcomers to inject energy into the side.
Bolivia, meanwhile, created little threat, with their best chance coming in the 38th minute of the second half from a José Flores shot that was cleared by Valentín Gómez. The Bolivian defence, marshalled by Marcelo Torrez and Efraín Morales, was repeatedly overwhelmed by the pace and interplay of the Argentine attack.
Referee Jhon Ospina Londoño blew the final whistle on a match that allowed Argentina to maintain their competitive rhythm. The team currently sits top of their World Cup qualifying group with a perfect nine points from three games. Their next fixture is another friendly, against Burkina Faso on October 4th.
This result marks Argentina's fourth win in their last five matches, a run that includes victories over England, Switzerland and Egypt. Lionel Messi, absent from this squad, remains the top scorer this cycle with eight goals in eight appearances. Fans can check the full schedule on our fixtures page and review detailed player statistics on stats.
The original report is at TyC Sports
Following the October 1st win, the coaching staff confirmed the squad trained on October 2nd at the Lionel Andrés Messi Grounds with no injuries. Manager Lionel Scaloni released Leonel Flores, who debuted against Bolivia, to rejoin Boca Juniors. Enzo Fernández, having served his suspension, would return to action against Burkina Faso. Scaloni has Tomás Palacios, Matías Soulé, and Santiago Castro waiting for their chance at a potential debut.
Debutant Valentín Gómez, of Betis, has already doubled his market value since his transfer. The Andalusian club paid just over five million euros to Vélez Sarsfield in 2025 and his value now reaches 12 million, according to an analysis by the club itself. Gómez, who played the final minutes in the October 1st win over Bolivia, has featured in four of his team's eight matches this season. The 23-year-old left-footed centre-back also made his Champions League debut this campaign.
The October 1st match was televised by TyC Sports. The network confirmed it broadcast the international friendly Argentina 4-0 Bolivia from the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium. Coverage included the pre-match, live commentary, and post-match analysis. The broadcast was available in Argentina via TyC Sports and TyC Sports Play. The victory, with goals from Lautaro Martínez, Nicolás Paz, Cristian Romero and José Manuel López, extends the team's recent run to four wins in their last five matches.
