Lionel Messi scores fastest goal of international career as Argentina beat Australia

Lionel Messi scored the fastest goal of his international career as Argentina secured a 2-0 friendly victory over Australia at Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium on Thursday.

A capacity 68,000 crowd watched the game with an overwhelming majority supporting Messi and the rest of his World Cup-winning teammates.

Messi mania has taken over the Chinese capital this week as the arrival of one of the greatest ever footballers sparked huge interest in what was essentially a meaningless post-season friendly.

Chinese short video platform Kuaishou streamed a video which had been billed as containing an exclusive interview but actually only saw a 50-second appearance by Messi, in a show that lasted an hour. It managed to rack-up 190 million views.

Local reports also suggested tickets for the game itself were being sold for as much as 4,800 yuan ($673), although those who forked out hoping to witness some Messi magic were not going to be let down.

The match was not even two minutes old when the 35-year-old picked up the ball outside the area before taking advantage of slack Australian defending and curling home a low finish – the fastest of Messi's 103 international strikes coming after 82 seconds.

Australia weathered the early storm, though, and almost equalised when attacker Mitchell Duke forced Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into tipping a close-range shot on to the post.

Not even 2 minutes on the clock. Messi being Messi. pic.twitter.com/DXb8WPowxJ

Messi – playing his first game since agreeing to join American MLS side Inter Miami – and fellow Argentina veteran Angel di Maria both drew saves from Australia stopper Mat Ryan at the start of the second half.

And the world champions eventually made their pressure count when German