Messi mania as World Cup champions take on Panama

Messi mania gripped Buenos Aires on Thursday as the Argentina national soccer team led by Lionel Messi beat Panama 2-0 in a friendly match that was essentially a celebration of their World Cup victory last December.

There was a party-like atmosphere outside the Monumental Stadium from early in the afternoon as children almost universally donned Messi’s No. 10 jersey and street sellers hawked Messi dolls.Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain star, received a massive ovation when he and his Argentina teammates entered the stadium filled with 83,000 fans and fireworks exploded over the stadium.