Argentina 4-0 Mexico: 3 talking points | International friendly
Argentina and Mexico clashed in an international friendly at the Alamodome in Texas, with the South Americans posting a convincing 4-0 victory.
They had come into the match off the back of an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Chile in their last friendly, while Mexico comprehensively defeated their North American rivals USA 3-0.
However, Argentina put up a masterclass, with four first-half goals putting their opponents to the sword.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the match.
#3 Lautaro Martinez continues to impress for Argentina
Lautaro Martinez had his first taste of European football last season when he completed a transfer from Racing Club to Inter Milan, and despite initially playing as back up to Mauro Icardi, the latter's off-field drama with the club gave Martinez ample opportunity to take centre stage.
He ended his first season at the San Siro with just nine goals from 35 matches, but due to a paucity of top quality strikers for Argentina, he was called up as part of the squad for the 2019 Copa America in Brazil.
The 22-year-old had a significantly lower profile than most of his teammates, but that did not stop him from usurping them, and he ended the tournament as Argentina's standout player.
His first performance since then came in the dour goalless draw with Chile, but Martinez made amends for that with his display against Mexico.
His first goal was a thing of beauty, as in the 17th minute, he picked up a pass from Leandro Paredes 35 yards from goal with the Inter man running at the Mexican backline; Martinez then showed the composure to beat three defenders before slotting past Ochoa with his weaker left foot.
Just five minutes later, he doubled his and Argentina's tally, expertly placing Ezequiel Palacios' through ball with a one-time finish.
Martinez could have gotten a hat-trick soon after, as he won a penalty after his flick struck the arm of Carlos Salcedo, but Leandro Paredes took the spot-kick instead.
He was not to be denied however, as he made the most of a defensive error by Nestor Araujo to grab his first hat-trick in the colours of Argentina and was substituted at half-time for Paulo Dybala.
Incredibly, Lautaro Martinez has scored eight goals from just nine matches for Argentina this year and if he continues with this trajectory, then he could well be leading the line for Los Albiceleste for at least another decade.