“Lionel Messi to Lead Argentina in Beijing Friendly Against Australia Ahead of Summer Asia Tour”

Lionel Messi will lead world champions Argentina in a friendly against Australia in Beijing, the country announced on Monday, followed by another game in Indonesia.

The June 15 clash at Workers’ Stadium in the Chinese capital is a repeat of Argentina’s encounter with Australia in the Round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar.

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Messi scored in Argentina’s 2-1 win and they won the World Cup.

“On June 15, Lionel Messi will lead Argentina’s national team in a friendly against Australia in Beijing,” the South American country’s embassy in China said on Twitter, like Weibo.

Separately, on June 19 in Jakarta, the national team announced another friendly against Indonesia as part of a summer “Asia tour”.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said playing in China will further strengthen ties between the two countries after years of troubled relations.

“Football is truly the global game and we hope that inviting Australia to play that game in China and against the world number ones will open up more opportunities for our two nations to work together on and off the pitch,” Johnson said.

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“It’s been 15 years since our senior team played in China and we’re really looking forward to playing Argentina at the newly renovated Workers’ Stadium in Beijing,” he added.

International sport is only just returning to China after Beijing abruptly lifted strict virus restrictions late last year.

(This story was not edited by News18 staff and is published via a syndicated news outlet feed – AFP).