Argentina played their first match since the departure of their legendary captain Lionel Messi, suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Uruguay in a friendly international.

The visitors took the lead early in the second half when Leonardo Balerdi accidentally turned the ball into his own net. Just five minutes later, Maxi Araujo doubled Uruguay's advantage, rising to meet a corner and sending a powerful header over the Argentine goalkeeper.

Lionel Scaloni's side managed to reduce the deficit in the 73rd minute through Julian Alvarez, but Argentina could not find an equaliser and had to settle for defeat.

According to ESPN, the stadium in Buenos Aires was not filled to capacity for the match — a rare sight during the years when Messi regularly represented the national team.

Messi played his final competitive match for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final. The forward subsequently brought his international career to an end, having made 207 appearances and scored 125 goals for the Albiceleste.

Argentina will look to bounce back in their next friendly against Costa Rica, scheduled to take place in Cordoba on Tuesday.