A long-range thunderbolt from Leandro Paredes and a second-half headed goal from Cristian Romero earned Argentina a 2-0 victory on Monday in a friendly against Indonesia, making it two wins from two for the world champions on their short tour of Asia.
There was no hiding the disappointment in Indonesia over Lionel Messi’s absence, despite his part in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Australia in Beijing on Thursday, when he netted in 79 seconds, his fastest international goal.
The match was the only bright spot in a torrid eight months for football in Indonesia, during which 135 fans were killed in one of the world’s worst stadium stampedes.
The Muslim-majority country was stripped of its right to stage the under-20 World Cup in March over domestic resistance to Israel’s participation, and replaced as hosts by Argentina.
