Argentina - Italy live stream online: international friendly
Don't miss a minute of the action as Argentina take on Italy in Manchester in a World Cup warm-up with kick-off in the Etihad Stadium at 20:45.
Argentina presented their credentials ahead of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Italy in Manchester in the absence of both Leo Messi and adopted local son Sergio Agüero.
Substitute Éver Banega of Sevilla and West Ham winger Manuel Lanzini provided the goals for Jorge Sampaoli's side, who were well-organised at the back but lacked much spark in midfield and spent much of the game desperately seeking to get the ball to the feet of Gonzalo Higauín, who was duly bundled off it by the attendant Azzurri back four.
Gianliugi Buffon made three saves in the first half to keep the score at 0-0 at half time and after the break it was Italy who came out gunning for the 2014 runners-up, drawing a string of fine saves from Willy Caballero, who did particularly well to keep out Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile in the second period.
Messi-less Argentina too crafty for experimental Italy
As the game descended into a gloves-off end-to-end spectacle after a raft of substitutions, Argentina proved more capable of taking their chances as Banega beat Buffon with a low shot and Lanzini hit a glorious strike into the top corner, both goals coming as the result of sloppy Italian passing in midfield.
However, Luigio Di Biagio's side showed enough to give Azzurri fans hope for the future - and until the game was ruptured the caretaker manager also left his calling card on the table of the Italian Football Federation for the full-time gig.
But Italy will not be at the World Cup. Argentina will, and the travelling fans in manchester were afforded a glimpse of what Sampaoli has in mind for Russia: a ball-playing defence, plenty of service to the wide men, particularly Ángel di María, and a lot of energy in midfield. In the absence of Messi, Argentina can also look to the summer with optimism as Sampaoli's well-stocked bench were deployed to good effect in the second half, essentially turning the game after Italy had looked the more likely to take the lead.