Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup champs

By DÉBORA REY and DANIEL POLITI
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Messi mania gripped Buenos Aires as the Argentina national team led by Lionel Messi beat Panama 2-0 in a friendly match that was essentially a celebration of their World Cup victory last December. Messi scored on a perfectly executed free kick in what was the 800th goal of his professional career. After the match, the celebrations got into full swing and Messi took center stage, smiling from ear to ear as he received awards and accolades. “I personally always dreamt of this moment,” a visibly emotional Messi said as he was handed the microphone. The match culminated a week in which Messi was widely celebrated as a hero after winning Argentina’s third World Cup title. It’s marked change for a player who was once blamed for the team’s failings in previous championships.