Argentina Beats Bolivia in First Match Without Messi
Listen to the story
Argentina's national football team won a friendly match against Bolivia on 1 October 2026, according to Eurosport.
The match was important because it was Argentina's first game without Lionel Messi, who has long been the team's biggest star.
Despite the absence of Messi, Argentina dominated the match and beat Bolivia comfortably.
Coach Lionel Scaloni, who has led the national team for several years, spoke positively after the final whistle.
He praised a young player called Leonel Flores, who currently plays for Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's most famous clubs.
Flores made his debut for the national team in this game and showed no signs of nerves.
Scaloni described the young forward as a real sensation, suggesting he could become an important part of the team's future.
The victory over Bolivia will give Argentine fans confidence, even though their most famous player was not on the pitch.
It also shows that Scaloni is willing to give opportunities to new, younger players.
Fans and journalists will now be watching closely to see if Flores continues to perform well in future matches for Argentina.
Vocabulary10 words
- friendly
- a match that does not count in a big competition
- dominate
- to control a game completely
- absence
- when someone is not present
- coach
- the person who trains and leads a sports team
- famous
- known by many people
- debut
- someone's first appearance in a match or competition
- sensation
- someone who performs very well and surprises people
- forward
- a player whose main job is to score goals
- victory
- a win in a game or competition
- confidence
- a strong feeling that things will go well
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Quiz
Answer key
1. It was their first match without Lionel Messi 2. He called him a sensation 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Argentina's national football team won a _____ match against Bolivia on 1 October 2026.
The match was important because it was Argentina's first game without Lionel _____.
Despite the absence of Messi, Argentina _____ the match and beat Bolivia comfortably.
Coach Lionel Scaloni, who has led the national team for several years, spoke positively after the final _____.
He praised a young player called Leonel Flores, who currently plays for Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's most _____ clubs.
Flores made his _____ for the national team in this game and showed no signs of nerves.
Scaloni described the young forward as a real _____, suggesting he could become an important part of the team's future.
The _____ over Bolivia will give Argentine fans confidence, even though their most famous player was not on the pitch.
It also shows that Scaloni is willing to give opportunities to new, younger _____.
Fans and journalists will now be watching closely to see if Flores continues to _____ well in future matches for Argentina.
Discussion questions
- How do you think Argentina's fans felt about playing without Lionel Messi?
- Why might a coach choose to give a young player like Flores a chance in an important match?
- What qualities do you think make a young footballer stand out, as Flores did?
- Do you think friendly matches are a good way to test new players? Why or why not?
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