ROME -- An Argentina side without Lionel Messi beat Italy 2-1 Wednesday in a friendly match honouring Pope Francis. Isaiah Thomas Jersey . Gonzalo Higuain put Argentina in front in the 20th minute and substitute Ever Banega doubled its lead four minutes into the second half before Lorenzo Insigne pulled one back with his first goal for Italy in the 76th minute. Higuain, Napolis new signing, was one of several Argentina players currently in Serie A. Pope Francis is an avid football fan, who comes from Argentina. He met the teams in the Apostolic Palace on Tuesday. AC Milan and Italy striker Mario Balotelli missed the match with an injury. Both he and Messi returned to their respective clubs Tuesday night. The last time the teams met was in 2001 -- also a friendly in Rome that Argentina won 2-1. Before that, Diego Maradonas Argentina eliminated host Italy from the 1990 World Cup on penalties in a semifinal in Naples. "We met a team of great quality, one of the best in the world," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. "We made mistakes coming out of defence and started badly, but then we did well. "We lacked that grit and finish around the penalty area, but the team did well. Honor to Argentina, it is a very strong side." The match was also used to promote peace and camaraderie in sport and to that end both teams had been staying at the same hotel and had travelled to the Stadio Olimpico together. Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon and his Argentina counterpart Javier Mascherano also planted an olive tree in a temporary pot after the national anthems, as a sign of unity. The tree will be kept in the Vatican gardens. All that had little impact on the teams competitiveness on the pitch, as the match was fast-paced right from kickoff. Italy had a good chance early on as Daniele De Rossi collected the ball in his own penalty area and dribbled downfield before lifting an accurate long ball to release Pablo Osvaldo. However, Argentina goalkeeper Mariano Andujar rushed out to clear the danger. It was Osvaldos first match back since being kicked out of the Confederations Cup squad for insulting his club coach at Roma -- a breach of Prandellis strict code of ethics. The Roma striker was born in Buenos Aires. Argentina went even closer two minutes later as Higuain raced into the area but Giorgio Chiellini got in a perfectly timed tackle to clear the ball for a corner before the former Real Madrid player could unleash a shot. Chiellini, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, also headed the resulting corner out to safety. Argentina took the lead after Italy lost the ball in midfield and Erik Lamela picked out Higuain, who was given too much space in the box by De Rossi and Verratti and he curled a shot into the right hand side of goal. Italy started looking more dangerous, especially down the right flank, and almost took the lead in the 39th minute. Antonio Candreva put in yet another cross from the right, but Claudio Marchisio -- seemingly surprised to find himself completely unmarked -- failed to connect from a meter out. Argentina should have doubled its lead on the stroke of halftime when Rodrigo Palacio slid in, in front of an empty net, but didnt connect properly with Angel Di Marias cross and blazed the ball over the crossbar from close range. Argentina did so shortly after the restart. Higuain rolled the ball across to an unmarked Banega following a swift counter attack, and the halftime substitute drilled a low shot into the bottom left corner. Argentina could have extended its lead in the 56th minute when Palacios ball was parried by Federico Marchetti -- who had come on for Buffon moments earlier -- but only as far as Higuain. However, Marchetti got back up swiftly to palm away his effort and De Rossi cleared the danger. Italy almost grabbed one back but Andujar did well to tip Alessandro Diamantis free kick onto the crossbar. The rebound was eventually bundled into the net by Candreva, but he was clearly offside. The hosts did reduce the deficit in stunning fashion. Osvaldo touched the ball onto Insigne and, with his first touch, the 22-year-old lifted the ball perfectly into the top right corner from 25 yards. It was Inisgnes second game for Italy. "It was a wonderful sensation to score," Insigne said. "I always try those shots and it went well tonight. "It was a wonderful feeling to meet the pope, I got goosebumps because it doesnt happen every day. I still need to fully realize it happened." Satch Sanders Jersey . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was also taken to three sets but emerged with a 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win over Tobias Kamke of Germany, while second-seeded David Ferrer joined Murray in making an early exit after a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Daniel Brands of Germany. Custom Boston Celtics Jerseys .com) - Coming off a pair of tough losses last week, the Syracuse Orange will try to put an end to their first losing skid of the season when they pay a visit to the Maryland Terrapins at the Comcast Center on Monday night in Atlantic Coast Conference action. https://www.cheapceltics.com/ . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday.While Max Pacioretty was celebrated for having scored the game-winning goal of the series, the Montreal Canadiens can actually attribute the work of their third and fourth lines as the key contributors for their first round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal. It started in Game 1, where the fourth line took control, led by playoff veteran Daniel Briere, and capped off with the overtime winner by Dale Weise. Along with Michael Bournival, the trio tallied two goals and five points in the series with a plus-4 rating. Solid numbers for a fourth line that features a centreman who now has 51 career playoff goals and 111 points in 112 games. Briere showed this series why his off-season signing to help bring playoff experience can be very beneficial to the Canadiens. The checking line of Brandon Prust, Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher added their share of offence with the energetic Gallagher leading the Habs in playoff scoring with three goals and five points. His line had five goals and nine points. Despite the balanced attack, the big story of the series was the resurgence of Rene Bourque and Lars Eller, two players who found themselves in chateau bow-wow on more than one occasion this season, and their lack of production earnedd them some time in the press box as healthy scratches. Tom Heinsohn Jersey. . Yet Bourque found the style of game that Michel Therrien has wanted from him all season long, and after finding success, built his confidence as the series wore on. Last season, Eller was the Canadiens best forward heading into the playoffs with Ottawa, before he was knocked out of the series. This time around, Eller had started to pick up his play over his final few games of the regular season, prior to missing a pair of games with the flu. He and Bourque have both used the post-season as a chance to hit the reset button on their seasons, and so far so good. That line which includes captain Brian Gionta, who added a critical shorthanded goal in the series, led the Habs with six goals, 11 points and a plus-11 rating, showing they were responsible on both sides of the puck. So often, playoff success is based on a balanced attack and the chance for a different hero each night. While this series saw big saves from Carey Price, some excellent plays and big minutes from PK Subban, a solid defensive job on Steven Stamkos done by the Habs blue line, especially Josh Gorges, the series win can really be attributed to depth. Now the Canadiens will have a week or so off before facing either Boston or Detroit in the second round. Again, Michel Therrien will have a balancing act to work on; the balance between rest and preparation for your next opponent, while ensuring the Canadiens stay game sharp and not lose the momentum built from the first round. ' ' '