Argentina vs Mauritania LIVE Updates: Lionel Messi enters the field for the second half (2-0)

While the shot went far wide, Magassa once again tried his luck adding yet another chance for the away side.

Scaloni makes another modification in Argentina’s team: Agustin Giay and Gabriel Rojas in, Nahuel Molina and Marcos Acuña out.

Cutting inside with a sharp burst and getting past Romero, Koita unleashed a powerful strike that forced Martinez into a fine save, pushing the ball around the post.

In a cross to the second post, Magassa missed a clear chance that ended in a goal kick for Martinez.

Sidi Amar Bouna enters the field replacing Djeidi Gassama.

Racing in behind, Koita got the better of Senesi, who caught him with a slight foul and was shown a yellow card.

Enzo Fernandez leaves the pitch replaced by Giuliano Simeone.

After a one-two with Mastantuono and De Paul, Messi let fly with his trademark whipped shot, but it was deflected behind for a corner.

After a weighted through ball from Koita, Gassama got into the box and got a shot away under pressure, but it went wide of Martinez's goal.

Getting involved with his teammates, Lionel Messi worked himself into a shooting position, but a last-ditch tackle denied him his first effort on goal.

Papa Ndiaga Yade takes the field for Mamadou Diallo.

Argentina and Mauritania are back on the field after the break.

Coach Scaloni makes a triple substitution for the start of the second half: Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul, and Franco Mastantuono in, Nico Paz, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Julian Alvarez out.

Argentina are winning 2-0 against Mauritania at the Bombonera, with Enzo Fernandez and Nico Paz the scorers.

One minute of stoppage time has been added.

After failing to clear a cross, Lekoueiry unleashed a shot that Martinez was equal to, gathering comfortably.

After the two goals, Argentina have eased off the accelerator, with the game settling into a more measured tempo as both sides share possession.

After stomping on Nico Gonzalez's left foot, Mauritanian defender Lamine Ba sees the first yellow card of the game.

After a sharp combination with Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Gonzalez whipped in a cross for Nico Paz, who failed to make clean contact with his shot, leaving Diop with a comfortable gather.

After winning a foul on the edge of the box, Nico Paz stepped up and curled a wonderful free kick into the net to double the lead.

Enzo Fernandez again found himself on the edge of the box, this time fed by Julian Alvarez from the left, but his shot was straight at Diop and comfortably saved.

Winning the ball in their own half, Mauritania launched a counter-attack, but Aboubakary Koita's shot flew well wide of the target.

Collecting the rebound from a cleared cross, Ibrahima Keita struck the ball first time, with his shot whistling just inches wide of Martinez's goal.

Resuming play from a free kick, Argentina decided to play the ball to the right side, where Nahuel Molina delivered a pinpoint cross for Enzo Fernandez, who struck the ball first time to open the scoring.

After a great ball from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Gonzalez drove a powerful cross into the penalty spot, but goalkeeper Diop got down well to palm it away.

Camped in the final third, Argentina are still struggling to find a way through Mauritania's defensive block, with the Albiceleste showing little interest in trying their luck from distance.

With only goalkeeper Diop to beat, Almada tried to square the ball across for Julian Alvarez, but the pass just evaded the striker in what was a glaring chance for the hosts.

No clear chances have been created just yet, but Argentina are firmly in control of the ball, with Mauritania sitting back in a defensive shape.

Referee Derliz López blows his whistle, and the game between Argentina and Mauritania is underway

In what figures to be the most talked-about team news ahead of kickoff, head coach Lionel Scaloni has opted to leave Lionel Messi on the bench for the match against Mauritania. As Scaloni made clear at Thursday's press conference, however, the Argentine icon is set to feature in both March friendlies, meaning fans can expect to see him come off the bench at some point in the second half.

Argentina will be facing Mauritania with the next lineup (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Marcos Senesi, Marcos Acuña; Nico Paz, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Nicolas Gonzalez; Thiago Almada, Julian Alvarez.

Spanish head coach Aritz Lopez Garai has confirmed the eleven players that'll be starting the game against Argentina (4-3-3): Babacar Diop; Ibrahima Keita, Lamine Ba, Jordan Lefort, Aly Abeid; Maata Magassa, Oumar Ngom, Beyatt Lekoueiry; Aboubakary Koita, Mamadou Diallo, Djeidi Gassama.

The referee selected for Friday's match between Argentina and Mauritania is Derliz Lopez, a 35-year-old official from Paraguay who has been a regular fixture in South American club competitions, including the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Tonight's game will mark his first time officiating an Argentina national team match.

Match officials:

Referee: Derliz López
1st Assistant: Roberto Cañete
2nd Assistant: Eduardo Britos
Fourth Official: Nazareno Arasa

Friday's match between Argentina and Mauritania will take place at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, better known as La Bombonera, in Buenos Aires. The iconic Boca Juniors stadium, which holds 57,200 spectators, will serve as the Albiceleste's home for tonight's friendly.

The game had also been considered for the Monumental, River Plate's stadium, given its larger capacity of more than 85,000 fans. However, rock band AC/DC is performing at the venue on Friday night as part of their Power Up Tour 2026, leaving the Argentine Football Association to look elsewhere.

Argentina and Mauritania will face off at 7:15 PM (ET).

You can watch the international friendly live on Fubo, Fanatiz, beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS Connect and ViX.

Welcome to our live blog for the friendly match between Argentina and Mauritania. Stay tuned for key updates and live minute-by-minute coverage!