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Magical Lionel Messi leads Argentina to 4-1 win over Venezuela

A Gonzalo Higuain brace and a masterful display from Lionel Messi — who created some more history with a goal of his own — helped Argentina into the Copa America Centenario semi-finals after a 4-1 win over Venezuela.

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Messi equalled Gabriel Batistuta's 54-goal record for Argentina, joining the Fiorentina great as the country's equal top goalscorers when he turned home the third goal to seal his side's triumph.

His goal followed a first-half brace from Higuain, who looked in inspired form, scoring his 27th and 28th goals for his nation, with Tottenham's Erik Lamela also getting in on the goal scoring with his first touch of the ball after coming on just four minutes earlier.