There is a rumor that circulates around the world that Lionel Messi doesn't play as well in an Argentina shirt as he does in a Barcelona shirt. He'll probably need to win a World Cup or Copa America to truly silence the critics who utter that refrain, but he did quite a bit to kill off that idea with a hat trick on Wednesday, as the Albiceleste defeated Switzerland 3-1 in Bern.
Switzerland Vs. Argentina: Lionel Messi Nets Hat Trick In Albiceleste Win
Messi scored the opener just 19 minutes in, combining with Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City man received a pass from Messi, who had just made a brilliant run through the midfield, and played a skillful backheel back to him. Messi stepped up and finished calmly, and Argentina would go into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Switzerland's young star Xherdan Shaqiri would tie up the match just four minutes into the half, cleaning up a mess after a cross into the box. The ball deflected out to the unmarked Basel star, and he finished easily. It took until late in the match for Argentina to take the lead back, but they would do it in spectacular fashion. Messi netted the eventual winner with a spectacular run through the defense after a bad Switzerland giveaway, then finished with a chipped shot that just barely snuck in under the crossbar.
In stoppage time, Switzerland gave away a penalty and Messi stepped to the spot, converting the penalty to complete his hat trick.
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