International friendly: Argentina 1 Brazil 0

Labelled a failure in Argentina’s 2010 World Cup campaign, Messi showed he has plenty to offer the national team, breaking the deadlock with just minutes remaining on the clock on Wednesday.

The win also continued the impressive record of new Argentina manager Sergio Batista, who has led the side to three wins from four matches since succeeding Diego Maradona in the top job after the World Cup.

Despite the creative and attacking talents on show for both teams,?there were few clear cut chances at either end.

Brazil went close in the first half when Barcelona full back Dani Alves hit the bar on 16 minutes.

Ronaldinho was impressive for in his return to the Brazilian team after 18 months out of the side, creating several chances throughout the match.

But ultimately it was Messi who was the deciding factor, scoring two minutes into injury time to seal the win for Argentina.

The Barcelona star gathered the ball just forward of the centre, burst towards goal and side-stepped two defenders before coolly slotting the ball past Brazil goalkeeper Victor.