Manager Lionel Scaloni insisted Argentinas core footballing DNA remains untouched after the reigning world champions cruised to a comfortable 2-0 warm-up victory over Honduras at Kyle Field in Texas.Despite fielding an experimental lineup loaded with younger players and choosing to leave superstar Lionel Messi on the bench as he recovers from a hamstring issue, the Albiceleste completely dominated the tempo from start to finish.Speaking directly after the match, Scaloni made it clear that maintaining their tactical blueprint outweighs individual personnel.Maybe it could have been done better, but as for the teams hallmark, its identity, I think it remains intact, and thats the most important thing, Scaloni said.Thats what were looking for, in the end, not to break that identity.The reigning World Cup champions broke the deadlock in College Station in the 37th minute. After former Tottenham man Giovani Lo Celso struck the post, Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down in the penalty area trying to collect the rebound.Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez stepped up, driving the spot-kick low to his left past Honduras keeper Edrick Menjivar.Martinez turned provider just nine minutes into the second half, pulling off an intelligent backheel inside the box to tee up Atletico Madrids Giuliano Simeone, who timed his run perfectly to fire home and double the lead.Argentina dominated the final statistics with 72% possession and 17 shots to Honduras three, with the Central American side failing to register a single shot on target or cross the halfway line for long stretches of the second period.Scaloni rotated heavily after the second goal, introducing the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, and Cristian Romero for the final half-hour.Argentina will now travel to Auburn, Alabama, to face Iceland on Tuesday, June 9, for their final warm-up fixture a match Scaloni indicated Messi could feature in briefly before kicking off their World Cup against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16. Topics Argentina National Football Team Lionel Messi Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Lionel Messi injury update: Argentina star trains and could be involved against Honduras tonight Jon Fisher 6th June, 2026 World Cup 2026 Group J: Preview, prediction, players to watch, fixtures and TV details Mitch Fretton 5th June, 2026 Argentina v Honduras: International friendly line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction for 2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up match Ben Miller 5th June, 2026 Lego World Cup trophy: Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr and the story behind their 2026 ad Ben Miller 3rd June, 2026 Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr: Behind the scenes on Lego World Cup trophy ad 2026 Ben Miller 3rd June, 2026 Messi training alone as Argentina star in race against time to make World Cup Mitch Fretton 2nd June, 2026
