Argentina secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mauritania in their first-ever meeting with the African nation.

Despite a massive 112-place gap in the FIFA rankings, the world champions struggled to dominate as expected at the La Bombonera.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni used the match as an opportunity to rotate his squad and test new tactical combinations.

The Albiceleste took a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Enzo Fernández and Nico Paz.

Lionel Messi entered the pitch at the start of the second half to a standing ovation from the home crowd.

While the captain displayed flashes of his trademark brilliance on the rain-heavy pitch, he was unable to find the back of the net.

Despite Argentina’s 64% possession, the statistics told a surprisingly balanced story:

Argentina: 7 shots, 4 on target.

Mauritania: 11 shots, 4 on target.

The visitors' persistence paid off in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Jordan Lefort scored to narrow the margin.

The narrow scoreline has sparked criticism among some Argentine supporters, who expected a more clinical performance against a lower-ranked side.

Argentina will now look to sharpen their form in their final home match before the World Cup, scheduled against Zambia in the early hours of April 1.