Sabella praises Messi following Brazil victory: 'Luckily he's Argentine'

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella has applauded the impact of Lionel Messi for his goalscoring exploits in the 4-3 friendly win over Brazil on Saturday.

The Barcelona No.10 scored a magnificent hat-trick to down his South American neighbours, with the last of his treble proving to be a winner for the Albiceleste.

Sabella was quick to shower praise on Messi after the match, claiming the country are fortunate to have such a gifted player at their disposal to salvage a result.

"It's a rare moment that we must make the most of," Sabella told Ole. "Luckily he's from Argentina and we can enjoy ourselves."

"Leo is an exceptional talent. We don't play like Barcelona, we play more narrow but we still try to maximise his qualities."

The former Estudiantes coach then spoke about what he saw in New Jersey, but while he was impressed by the manner in which Argentina controlled possession, he was not so pleased with some of the defending.

He added: "Talking about the game itself, it could have gone either way. It is very difficult to control a game against a team with such potential as Brazil.

"They have great attacking firepower. We need to work on our defence though, as this time we conceded three. We must find the right balance and equilibrium."