A glut of international friendlies this midweek means we get to see how teams are prepping for their own continental tournaments and what kind of shape they’re in, basically. And one of the picks of the lot was a friendly between a pair of teams desperately Argentina needing to rebound from totally uneventful World Cup campaigns – Argentina and Portugal.

The fact that they had in their teams arguably the 2 top players in the world only served to fuel the excitement, even though it was still just a friendly. That the sold-out clash at the Stade de Geneve in Switzerland turned out to be so much more besides is a fine answer to those who think international friendlies are just a waste of time.

Gijon vs Barcelona football odds

Gijon – 19.5

Barca – 1.2

Draw – 8.2

Lionel Messi, in fine form for Barcelona, provided the punctuation for this Argentina win

Lionel Messi‘s last-gasp strike lifted Argentina to a battling win. In a game featuring two of the planet’s best players in world player of the year Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, it was the Argentinian who took home street cred and bragging rights as he slotted home a penalty in the final minute.

It was not by all means a one-sided game. Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria fired Argentina ahead in the 14th minute — it took less than a quarter of an hour for Messi to unlock the Portugal defence as he moved from the right wing into a central position where he provided a simple, one-on-one opportunity for Di Maria who slotted home.

Just seven minutes later, though, Portugal replied through none other than Ronaldo. Nani, who was looking dangerous the whole half on the wing, crossed from the left, Hugo Almeida got his head to ball and Ronaldo pounced to send it past Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero. Ronaldo almost scored again just two minutes later but he sent his long-range shot just wide.

In the latter stages of the game, once wholesale substitutions were made, Argentina began to dominate. Faustino Rojo failed to convert Ezequiel Lavezzi‘s cross before Javier Pastore was close with a header after Messi’s free-kick had hit the bar with a little over five minutes to go.

Messi, on the last minute, was not to be denied and Argentina were awarded a penalty when Coentrao was fouled in the area by Juan Manuel Martinez. Messi sent a shot to the right of the keeper and sealed a hard-earned victory.

Though they lost, the result was not indicative of the revival and togetherness that has swept through the Portugal national team since Carlos Quieroz was sacked. It was unfortunate that they lost, but they look to be a force to reckon with when the EURO tournament begins. It will be back to the Spanish league for Ronaldo this weekend, where it is Real Madrid vs Espanyol, betting odds not reflecting what a tricky outing this could be for the Madridistas.