BUENOS AIRES, June 21, (Agencies): Lionel Messi laid on two goals and scored another as Argentina romped to a 4-0 win over Albania at the Monumental on Monday in their last warm-up for next month’s Copa America.
Defender Javier Zanetti won an Argentine record 140th cap in the match, which his team controlled at will against mediocre opponents.
Striker Ezequiel Lavezzi put the Copa hosts ahead in the fifth minute, sticking the ball over goalkeeper Arjan Beqaj from Messi’s perfect pass, before Messi made it 2-0 in the 43rd, taking the ball from Lavezzi’s lay off and striking a low left-footed shot inside the base of Beqaj’s post.
“Lionel had a great match, generating scoring chances and scoring,” coach Sergio Batista said of Messi, who took his international tally to 17 in 57 matches.
“The team played well. There are things that need adjusting because our opponents did not attack much and did not see much of the ball, but I’m happy because we showed everything we’ve been practising,” he told reporters.

Argentina got their third in the 74th minute after Messi fed another sublime pass with the outside of his left foot to Sergio Aguero, who rounded the goalkeeper to slot home from a tight angle.
“These kind of matches help us to get confidence and get to know each other better,” said Lavezzi.
Aguero then laid on the last goal in the final minute for fellow substitute Carlos Tevez, who was recalled by Batista despite appearing out of the Copa reckoning less than a month ago.
Messi drew three defenders as he raced into the box, leaving Aguero to pass to Tevez to score with a low shot.
Albania did not create a single clear-cut chance, goalkeeper Sergio Romero going down just once to stop an early effort.
“It was not as hard as it’s going to be in the Copa (America) but it’s useful to get our movements right,” Tevez told Argentine TV.

The Copa America, which Argentina have not won since 1993, kicks off on July 1 when the hosts play Bolivia in La Plata in their Group A opener. The final is scheduled for the Monumental on July 24.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Brazil will be looking beyond next month’s Copa America to the World Cup they will host in 2014, coach Mano Menezes admitted Monday.
The ‘auriverde’ will use the Copa as a springboard to what they hope will be a sixth world crown but the latter tournament will be the clear priority — even though they hope to put one over rivals Argentina, who host the continental showpiece from July 1.
“We are going to use all the opportunities (afforded by their Copa schedule) to prepare ourselves well for the World Cup,” Menezes told reporters in Rio as the squad prepared to set off to Argentina on Tuesday in advance of their first pool meeting with Venezuela on July 3.
Recent friendlies have not shown the flair in abundance which Brazil fans crave — their last outing was a 1-0 win over Romania in Ronaldo’s final goodbye to the fans and that came somewhat limply on the heels of a goalless draw with 2010 World Cup finalists Holland.
But Menezes, who replaced Dunga after Brazil lost to the Dutch in the World Cup quarter-finals, insists he is building a strong side.

“We have the basis (of a side) which has been used in most (recent) matches and that will form the backbone for Venezuela,” prior to further pool games against Paraguay and Ecuador.
“Theoretically, Paraguay are the strongest of the three teams (in Brazil’s pool) but that doesn’t mean the others won’t pose problems,” said Menezes.
“We can say Argentina are the favourites as they are playing at home — by the same token Brazil will be favourites for the World Cup in 2014 — well that’s the theory,” said Menezes.
Earlier, AC Milan’s Brazilian defender Thiago Silva made Argentina and Brazil joint favourites to lift the Copa.
“Between Brazil and Argentina, it’ll be 50/50 — Argentina can be seen as favourites as they’ll be at home but we are also seen as the team to beat as we won the last two editions,” Silva told a media conference in Rio.
But he also forecast that World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay would pose a threat.
Santos stars Elano, Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso will join the squad after they have first played their Copa Libertadores final return against Uruguay’s Penarol on Wednesday.