Played
February 29, 2012 7:30 PM GMT
STADE DE SUISSE Wankdorf Bern — Bern
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 31000
February 29, 2012 7:30 PM GMT
STADE DE SUISSE Wankdorf Bern — Bern
Referee: F. Meyer
Attendance: 31000
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| Switzerland | 11.00 | 3.75 | 3.60 | 100.00 | 3.20 |
| Draw | 1.22 | 3.10 | 3.25 | 15.00 | 3.20 |
| Argentina | 6.50 | 2.05 | 2.10 | 1.01 | 2.19 |
Top of the Match
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Argentina
Lionel Messi
Argentina
Argentina
Flop of the Match
Francois Affolter
Switzerland
Switzerland
Diego Benaglio
Switzerland
Switzerland
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Switzerland 1-3 Argentina: Marvellous Messi nets hat-trick to guide Albiceleste to friendly victory
The Barcelona star stole the show with three goals to help the two-time World Cup winners earn the spoils against Ottmar Hitzfeld's men
By Roger Gonzalez
GettyImages
Three goals from Lionel Messi helped Argentina defeat Switzerland 3-1 in an international friendly on Wednesday in Bern.
The match looked headed for a draw after Xherdan Shaqiri cancelled out the Argentine's first-half effort with a goal early in the second period but the Barcelona star scored twice late on to secure victory.
Looking to build off a win against Colombia in World Cup qualifying in November, the South Americans showed pace and creativity in the early minutes, but did not pose much of a threat, as Ottmar Hitzfeld's defence was up to the task.
Fans were forced to wait nearly 20 minutes to see the match's first real chance. Messi found Sergio Aguero at the top of the box and the Manchester City striker rolled the ball back to his attacking partner. Messi composed himself, and fired a brilliant low shot from 20 yards into the right corner for the early advantage.
In the following minutes, Alejandro Sabella's men controlled the majority of the possession as they looked for their second goal, but the crucial pass to send a player through was missing from their play.
Switzerland responded, and the first half ended with the home team infiltrating the visiting area on numerous occasions, nearly equalising through Granit Xhaka, who drilled an effort over Sergio Romero and the crossbar from 16 yards.
In the second half, the maintained the momentum, and were deservedly level. In the 49th minute, Shaqiri curled the ball into the top corner with one touch after Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross somehow found its way to the soon-to-be Bayern Munich star.
With things level, both nations searched for the winning goal. Aguero nearly delivered with a poked shot from the middle of the box, but Marco Wolfli reacted quickly to slap the ball over the crossbar.
Messi left things late, clinching the win with a solo effort, running to the left side of the box before lifting the ball over the charging goalkeeper before it hit the crossbar and bounced down into the goal.
He added another in injury time after Gonzalo Higuain was brought down in the box, sending the Swiss custodian the other way from the spot to cement the result.
The home team next return to action at the end of May when they host Germany in a friendly, while the South Americans will face Ecuador in early June in a World Cup qualifying match.
The match looked headed for a draw after Xherdan Shaqiri cancelled out the Argentine's first-half effort with a goal early in the second period but the Barcelona star scored twice late on to secure victory.
Looking to build off a win against Colombia in World Cup qualifying in November, the South Americans showed pace and creativity in the early minutes, but did not pose much of a threat, as Ottmar Hitzfeld's defence was up to the task.
Fans were forced to wait nearly 20 minutes to see the match's first real chance. Messi found Sergio Aguero at the top of the box and the Manchester City striker rolled the ball back to his attacking partner. Messi composed himself, and fired a brilliant low shot from 20 yards into the right corner for the early advantage.
In the following minutes, Alejandro Sabella's men controlled the majority of the possession as they looked for their second goal, but the crucial pass to send a player through was missing from their play.
Switzerland responded, and the first half ended with the home team infiltrating the visiting area on numerous occasions, nearly equalising through Granit Xhaka, who drilled an effort over Sergio Romero and the crossbar from 16 yards.
In the second half, the maintained the momentum, and were deservedly level. In the 49th minute, Shaqiri curled the ball into the top corner with one touch after Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross somehow found its way to the soon-to-be Bayern Munich star.
With things level, both nations searched for the winning goal. Aguero nearly delivered with a poked shot from the middle of the box, but Marco Wolfli reacted quickly to slap the ball over the crossbar.
Messi left things late, clinching the win with a solo effort, running to the left side of the box before lifting the ball over the charging goalkeeper before it hit the crossbar and bounced down into the goal.
He added another in injury time after Gonzalo Higuain was brought down in the box, sending the Swiss custodian the other way from the spot to cement the result.
The home team next return to action at the end of May when they host Germany in a friendly, while the South Americans will face Ecuador in early June in a World Cup qualifying match.
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Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Results
Times In GMT
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0 - 2Final
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3 - 1Final
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1 - 1Final
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0 - 0Final
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0 - 1Final
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0 - 0Final
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1 - 1Final
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0 - 0Final
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3 - 0Final
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3 - 0Final
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2 - 1Final
-
0 - 0Final
-
0 - 0Final
-
1 - 2Final
-
2 - 0Final
-
4 - 2Final
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4 - 2Final
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-Cancelled
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2 - 1Final
-
3 - 0Final
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1(4) - 1(1)Final
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1 - 3Final
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3 - 0Final
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0 - 4Final
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0 - 0Final
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1 - 0Final
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-Cancelled
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1 - 1Final
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5 - 0Final
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ashraf Nu'man Alfawaghra Midfielder Al Faisaly Amman |
4 | 1 |
|
Andreas Cornelius Striker FC Copenhagen |
4 | 1 |
|
Fred Striker Fluminense |
4 | 0 |
|
Mikael Forssell Striker HJK Helsinki |
3 | 1 |
|
Clint Dempsey Midfielder Tottenham |
3 | 1 |
