Honduras push for a late, albeit unlikely equaliser at this point, but they have a chance with a free-kick from a long way out as Mascherano picks up his obligatory booking of the night.
90'
There will be three minutes added on at the end of this match.
88'
Honduras have reverted into a shell in defence, eager to see this through to full-time without any further damage inflicted on them. Argentina are taking a more patient approach now, with little to prove by going all out in search of a second goal.
86'
STAT: Honduras have lost four of their last five matches against South American opposition, the lone exception being a 2-1 friendly win over Venezuela.
84'
Palacios doesn't take any chances as he sends a Roncaglia cross behind for a corner, with Aguero lurking at the far post. This is some good, concentrated pressure Argentina are applying here with full-time approaching.
83'
R. Martínez enters the game and replaces R. Quioto.
Quioto is replaced by Rony Martinez.
82'
Banega has provided quite the impact in the final third. He's working the ball around well, and nearly produces the spectacular with his first shooting chance, curling an effort no more than an inch beyond the far stick from atop the area.
80'
Argentina are starting to up the tempo again as we enter the final 10 minutes. They would love another goal to avoid what's shaping up to be a bit of a tense finish in San Juan.
78'
V. Cuesta enters the game and replaces M. Rojo.
Rojo receives a loud applause as he gives way, with Victor Cuesta replacing him. This is the first cap for the Independiente defender.
Minute
Description
77'
F. Roncaglia enters the game and replaces G. Mercado.
J. Maidana enters the game and replaces N. Otamendi.
Facundo Roncaglia replaces Mercado at right-back.
More changes from Argentina as Martino looks to get his more inexperienced players some playing time. Jonathan Maidana gets his third cap at the expense of Otamendi.
75'
Éver Alvarado gets yellow.
Alvarado has an immediate impact, but not the one you want, as he goes into the book for a late challenge.
73'
STAT: Right-back Gabriel Mercado has scored in each of Argentina’s last two matches, both victories, his only two goals with the national team in four caps.
71'
Éver Alvarado enters the game and replaces E. Izaguirre.
Izaguirre is also replaced after a strong showing by Ever Alvarado
70'
O. Borjas enters the game and replaces B. Beckeles.
The visitors make a pair of changes, the first of which sees Beckeles' night come to an end. Odis Borjas will deputise in his place.
69'
O. Morazán gets yellow.
Yellow card Oliver David Morazán Torres
HOW IS IT NOT 2-0?! Outstanding interplay down the left springs Rojo, who picks out a delightful pullback for Aguero, but the striker's first-time effort is stopped by Escober! The rebound comes out to Mercado who smashes a terrific strike just over the bar!
67'
The tempo has really fizzled out. There's hardly been any consistency in play since Messi went down injured close to 10 minutes ago, as substitutions continue the stop and start trend. We'll see if either side can get something going in the final 20 minutes.
65'
S. Agüero enters the game and replaces G. Higuaín.
Higuain's night is also done, but he got his goal. Sergio Aguero comes on to replace him, and he needs one of his own to convince Martino to give him a place in the XI at the tournament.
64'
N. Gaitán enters the game and replaces É. Lamela.
É. Banega enters the game and replaces L. Messi.
The other switch sees the hosts bring on Nicolas Gaitan for Erik Lamela.
Panic sets in again for the Argentina faithful as Messi puts his jacket on and limps down the tunnel. He's clearly in pain, but at this point they'll just have to hope it's nothing serious. Banega replaces him.
62'
STAT: Argentina are unbeaten in their last five matches, since opening their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Ecuador (W3, D2).
60'
Play has yet to resume with Messi still being attended to. Substitutes are warming up but it looks like Messi wants to continue... although I hardly see the point in taking the risk with the meaningful games starting up next week.
58'
Another injury stoppage has taken the sting out of the match, but this one is a real heart in the throat moment for Argentina fans as Messi stays down in obvious pain after taking a knee to the midriff. He stays down for a couple of minutes before slowly propping up, which is met by a roaring applause from the home supporters.
56'
Honduras are starting to force the issue a bit, sending more bodies forward in search of an equaliser. They're having trouble breaking down a compact Argentina defence, with the hosts growing wary of the approach being shown by the visitors.
54'
Three Honduran defenders converge to stop Messi at the end of a promising Argentina attack. It's clear the visitors are paying extra attention to the Barcelona forward, as they get bodies all around him when in possession.
52'
STAT: Honduras have scored in each of their last five matches, since a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in World Cup qualifying.
50'
ABYSMAL! Argentina's defence is at sixes and sevens as Honduras generate a rare chance on the counter. Discua plays Elis clean through on goal, but the striker opts to take a shot first-time and gets it all wrong as he skies his shot from close range!
48'
Possession is evenly split in the minutes following the restart, with the ball hardly leaving the midfield third. Passing is proving a bit sloppy at the moment as the teams get their legs back under them after the lengthy half-time break.
46'
C. Discua enters the game and replaces M. Vega.
Here we go again!
Vega is replaced at the interval after an ineffective showing in the first half, with Carlos Discua taking his place alongside Elis up top.
45' +2
HALF-TIME: ARGENTINA 1-0 HONDURAS.
45'
O. Morazán enters the game and replaces B. Acosta.
Interesting switch here from Honduras, and it's not because of an injury either. Acosta is replaced by Oliver Morazan, who makes just his fifth appearance for the national side. Apparently it couldn't wait until half-time.
43'
This is a goalkeeping nightmare! Escober is fine to continue for now, but as Honduras break the other way, Romero has gone down with an injury as he's bullied into by Elis! He should be alright, but that surely knocked the wind out of it.
41'
Escober may have paid the dearest of prices for the save as his momentum carried him hard into the post, and he's quite shaken up! The fans are applauding, as are many of the players, following the keeper's heroics. What a sensational stop that was!
39'
OH MY WORD THAT IS SPECIAL! Just incredible all around from Argentina and Escober! Messi plays Lamela into space on the right, and his low cross picks out Rojo at the far post, for what appears a simple tap-in, but Escober somehow gets across and makes the most brilliant of saves to deny the left-back's first-time strike!
37'
Argentina are looking increasingly dangerous as they look to add to their lead before the interval. They have everyone across the halfway line, getting after this Honduran defence with some excellent interplay. They've upped their possession to close to 65 per cent in the process.
35'
J. Claros gets yellow.
Honduras are in the midst of a very sticky spell as they continue to be hemmed in defence by this Argentina attack. Claros commits a cynical foul and he's issued a yellow card.
33'
STAT: Argentina have not suffered defeat in 19 friendly matches against CONCACAF opposition, keeping a clean sheet in 11 of those contests (W13, D6).
31'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Argentina! Assist by M. Rojo.
It was a strong run from Rojo in the build-up, followed by a rather straightforward pass which Figueroa misjudged.
SENSATIONAL FROM HIGUAIN AND HIS ARGENTINA SCORING DROUGHT IS OVER! Di Maria springs Rojo down the left, who finds Higuain in the centre. The striker turns remarkably, producing a nutmeg on Figueroa before chipping the coolest of finishes past the keeper! That's the sort of form that saw him claim the Serie A scoring title this season.
30'
L. Biglia gets yellow.
Biglia is issued the first caution of the match for an ill-timed challenge in midfield.
29'
INCHES WIDE! Di Maria's corner is met by Otamendi near the top of the area, and the defender contorts his body to unload a volley, which drifts just beyond the near post! Terrific attempt there from the Man City centre-half!
27'
Argentina are starting to find a bit more consistency in the final third, and they have Honduras pegged back a bit, but Escober has yet to be tested in goal. Di Maria is looking especially lively as the hosts remain insistent on playing down the left.
25'
Don't tell these players there's nothing at stake tonight! The tackles being put in rival the intensity you would see in a World Cup match, not a measly Friday night friendly match in May!
23'
Injuries continue to derail the tempo of this match, as Biglia is the latest in need of some patching up. Messi is also spotted shaking off a knock and wincing in pain as he collects himself following a hard challenge. You can bet he wishes he was playing in the Champions League final tomorrow instead...
21'
STAT: This is the first official meeting between Argentina and Honduras.
19'
NEAR DISASTER! All the great work Honduras has put in defensively thus far is nearly undone by a stray touch from Figueroa. Di Maria and Rojo link-up well on the left, with the latter sending an inquisitive cross into the centre that's unconvincingly turned onto the roof of the net by the former Wigan defender.
17'
Play is back underway, while Argentina continue to struggle to find their rhythm. This is rather uncharacteristic of the Albiceleste, although their troubles in front of goal have been well documented since the start of the 2018 World Cup qualification phase.
15'
There's a lengthy delay as players from both sides require attention from the training staffs. Acosta and Rojo got into an aerial duel and collided rather hard, with the Honduran midfielder looking to have come out of it worse for wear.
13'
Honduras, despite not having a major tournament to prepare for themselves this summer, are more than up for the occasion. They have a pair of massive World Cup qualifiers against Mexico and Canada in September, and they're looking to work out the kinks in advance.
11'
Elis has had a wonderful start to this match. What he may be lacking in quality, he's more than made up for with a tremendous work rate. The striker is using his pace brilliantly, and it's led to a few nervy moments for the Argentina back line.
9'
STAT: Gonzalo Higuain has been held without a goal in his last four appearances for the national team since scoring off the bench in a 6-1 rout of Paraguay at the Copa America.
7'
There's the skipper! Figueroa is the anchor of this Honduran side and he bails them out early on with an exceptionally timed challenge inside the area to deny Di Maria a shot from close range after an excellent passing move from the hosts!
5'
The Albiceleste have a wonderful pace about them when on the front foot, but they've been unable to solve what's shaping up to be a stingy Honduran defence. The visitors have had a few half-chances on the break, but they've been limited to speculative efforts from range, none of which have tested Romero as of yet.
3'
Argentina, attacking left to right in their classic baby blue and white stripes, enjoy the bulk of the possession early on, but it's Honduras who come closest to creating the first chance. Elis wins the ball high up the pitch and sprints forward on the counter, but a foul on Funes Mori, who recovered brilliantly, prevents the chance from coming to fruition.
1'
And we're off!
That's all for our live coverage from the Estadio del Bicentenario. Thanks for following along!
Gonzalo Higuain sends the Albiceleste into the Copa America on a winning note, but it's an injury to Lionel Messi which steals the headlines. It wasn't the most convincing scoreline produced by Argentina, but it was never in doubt as Honduras required a few world class saves from Escober to limit the damage in San Juan.
A wonderful individual effort from Gonzalo Higuain has helped breach a stingy Honduran back-line, as they limit the Albiceleste to just two shots on target in the first half. The other, from Marcos Rojo, should likely have produced a goal as well, but a sensational stop from Donis Escober has limited Argentina to just the one-goal advantage after 45 minutes.
Honduras call upon an experienced back line to hold down the fort, with Maynor Figueroa (130th cap) and Emilio Izaguirre (85th) the most accomplished of the bunch. The opposite is true at the other end as the CONCACAF side opt to play with a duo of 20-year-old striker Alberth Elis and 29-year-old Marco Tulio Vega, the latter of which is earning just his second cap and first since 2013.
Gabriel Mercado continues to hold down the right-back spot, opposite Marcos Rojo tonight, with Nicolas Otamendi and Ramiro Funes Mori the preferred centre-back duo. Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia join the Tottenham winger in midfield, while we will likely see a fresh batch of faces off the bench in the second half as well, as fringe players are given the chance to make a statement.
Martino trots out close to what we can expect to see from Argentina at the Copa America next month, with Erik Lamela awarded the chance to prove himself in the first team ahead of the tournament. Gonzalo Higuain leads the line instead of Sergio Aguero, between Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria. Javier Pastore (calf) and Ezequiel Lavezzi (hamstring) are left out as a result of fitness concerns.
ARGENTINA (4-3-3): Romero; Mercado, Otamendi, Funes Mori, Rojo; Biglia, Mascherano, Lamela; Messi, Di Maria, Higuain.
CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS:
Honduras have endured some difficult times in recent years. Their participation in the 2014 World Cup ended disappointingly as they lost all three of their matches, and it only got worse for Los Catrachos as they finished bottom of their group in the Gold Cup last summer. They tend to struggle against more talented opposition, and there are few better than their opponents tonight.
This is the final test for Argentina before they kick-off Copa America group play against Chile on June 6 in California. A sluggish start to the World Cup qualifying campaign has seen the pressure mount on Gerardo Martino as La Albiceleste continue to chase their first major title in over two decades.
Hello and welcome to live coverage from San Juan as Argentina begin preparations for the Copa America Centenario in June with a friendly match against Honduras at the Estadio del Bicentenario!
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