Argentina thrashed Curacao 7-0 in Santiago del Estero but Inter striker Lautaro Martinez missed a glorious opportunity to put his own name on the scoresheet.
While captain Lionel Messi notched a first-half hat-trick to pass 100 international goals, Martinez has now failed to find the back of the net in his last nine appearances for his country.
Indeed, despite Argentina’s historic victory at the World Cup last year, Martinez struggled in Qatar and was criticised for missing a number of golden opportunities.
None were quite as straightforward as the one he spurned against Curacao, however, with the striker somehow missing an open goal from just a few yards away.
In just the third minute of the game, Messi effortlessly guided past a few Curacao defenders in typical fashion.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner then squared the ball to Martinez, who had an open net to aim at.
Yet, Martinez got his feet tangled and failed to connect with his captain’s pass.
Check out the miss below:
VIDEO: Lautaro Martinez’s miss vs Curacao
Martinez’s barren form is in direct contrast to this time last year when he was scoring for fun.
The Inter star bagged 21 goals in his first 37 games for the national team – proving that he is more than capable of performing on the biggest stage.
Though Martinez’s goal drought continued, it was another comprehensive win for Argentina overall.
Messi continued his remarkable form for the national team and remains third on the all-time list of international scorers, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Iran’s Ali Daei (109).
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez also scored, as did Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Montiel, and Nicolas Gonzalez.
But it was undoubtedly the Messi show once again, as 42,000 adoring supporters sang his name.
VIDEO: Lionel Messi scores hat-trick vs Curacao
The Paris Saint-Germain star scored his first of the evening after 20 minutes – latching onto a pass from Villarreal’s on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani lo Celso.
Gonzalez then set up Messi for his second, before Lo Celso released Messi again to claim his third in just the 37th minute.
With 102 international goals, the 35-year-old is streets ahead of Argentina’s second-top scorer, Gabriel Batistuta, who managed 56 goals during his career.
