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Argentina warmed up for the World Cup with a 5-0 thrashing of the United Arab Emirates in
Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with Angel Di Maria scoring twice and Julian Alvarez, Lionel
Messi, and Joaquin Correa also scoring.

Argentina took the lead in the 17th minute, cheered on by the Mohammad Bin Zayed
Stadium crowd, when Messi collected a pass from Di Maria and found himself with the
goalkeeper to beat, but unselfishly set up Alvarez for his third international goal.

Argentina’s lead was doubled eight minutes later with a superb volley after Marcos Acuna
crossed into the area from the left, as the twice World Cup winners settled in ahead of the
tournament, which kicks off in Qatar on Sunday.

The forward, who overcame a hamstring injury to be named to Argentina’s World Cup squad
last month, scored in the 36th minute after dribbling past several UAE defenders and
slotting home as Argentina put their opponents to the sword.

Messi got in on the act a minute before halftime with a fine shot into the corner off a pass
from Di Maria, and substitute Correa completed the rout after the break with a deflected goal

Messi got in on the act a minute before halftime with a fine shot into the corner off a pass
from Di Maria, and substitute Correa completed the rout after the break with a deflected goal

“We’re optimistic,” said midfielder Rodrigo De Paul. “However, for many, this will be their
first World Cup, so the first game will be crucial.”

Argentina, which returns to Qatar on Thursday, will play Saudi Arabia in their first match on
Nov. 22 before facing Mexico and Poland in Group C.

Defender Cristian Romero and forwards Nicolas Gonzalez, Alejandro Gomez, and Paulo
Dybala were all ruled out of Wednesday’s game due to “some discomfort,” according to Scaloni

“We have a few issues, we have a few days to decide on the list… We can change, hopefully
not, but there is a chance,” Scaloni told reporters.

I’m not saying they’ll be removed from the list. There are some players who aren’t feeling
well and were left out of the squad today because they weren’t ready to play or there was a risk

“We must be cautious because they were excluded for a reason.”

According to FIFA rules, World Cup teams can replace injured or ill players in their squads up
to 24 hours before their first match.