Argentina and Brazil maintain momentum with friendly wins

The teams are busy preparing for the final moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts next week. Last Saturday, all the big teams in the world of football took to the field in a busy day of friendly matches. Former champions like Brazil, Argentina and Germany won, albeit by small margins. England and Portugal did not miss out on victories either.

A host of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius Junior and Mohamed Salah were seen on the field today. However, three-time world champions Argentina decided to rest their star man Lionel Messi for their match against Honduras in Texas. Despite playing without Messi, the Albiceleste won easily 2-0. Forward Lautaro Martinez was brilliant in the match. In addition to scoring a goal himself, he also had an assist for the other goal. Simeone scored the second goal for the team.

On the other hand, five-time world champions Brazil beat Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland. Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes gave Brazil the lead early in the match with a brilliant goal from inside the D-box. Lyon forward Andrić doubled the lead in the second half from a pass from Barcelona’s Rafinha. Zico scored the only goal for Egypt. Mohamed Salah, who was on the field in the first half, was seen in quite good rhythm.

However, Brazil’s victory was overshadowed by the injury to defender Wesley. The AS Roma right-back left the field in tears at one point in the match after injuring his left leg. The injury has put his World Cup hopes in jeopardy. However, according to the rules, teams can replace injured players up to a day before their first match.

England secured a hard-earned 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa. Harry Kane’s only header in the first half decided the outcome of the match. England coach Thomas Tuchel changed his entire team after the first half due to the scorching 32 degree Celsius heat and allowed all 22 of his squad to take to the field. The coach’s main focus in this match was to see the players rather than the result. But captain Kane’s goal from a Dade Spence cross proved once again how important he is in fulfilling his dream of winning a second World Cup.

Four-time world champions Germany beat World Cup co-hosts the United States 2-1 in Chicago, extending their unbeaten run to nine games. Kai Havertz headed in a Joshua Kimmich free-kick in the second minute to give Germany the lead. However, Anthony Robinson’s brilliant volley equalised for the hosts in the first half. Leroy Sane’s powerful strike in the 57th minute sealed the victory for Germany.

Portugal beat Chile 2-1 in a tense and foul-filled match in Vieiras. Tensions between the players on both sides were so high that Rafael Leão and Ivan Roman were sent off after being shown red cards, leaving both teams with 10 men. Gonzalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes scored for Portugal. Lucas Cepeda scored a last-minute consolation goal for Chile. Fernandes said after the match that they had controlled the match for the entire 90 minutes.

In other matches, Belgium thrashed Tunisia 5-0 in Brussels. Star striker Romelu Lukaku showed signs of recovery from injury by coming on as a substitute for the final 25 minutes of the match. Goals for Belgium came from Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketteler, Kevin De Bruyne, Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin.

Scotland beat Bolivia 4-0 in New Jersey. Che Adams scored twice for the team, while Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay also scored the other two goals. Switzerland and Australia drew 1-1. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Panama also drew by the same margin.