After coming from the bench at half-time in their previous success against Honduras last week, the 22-year-old was handed a starting place by Lionel Scaloni at Red Bull Arena, USA.
And it took him only 13 minutes to score his second goal for La Albiceleste when he expertly tapped home Lisandro Martinez’s cut back from six yards out, after the Inter Milan man weaved his way to the touchline.
The opener was exactly what Alvarez’s side deserved after an energetic and fast-paced start to the match.
Former City defender Nicolas Otamendi was in the thick of the action within the first five minutes, when his teasing header from a cross found Giovanni Lo Celso, who failed to control the looping ball when inside the box.
Only eight minutes later, the two-time World Cup winners had the lead thanks to our number 19, bringing his 2022 tally to 21 goals.
Despite consistent Argentina pressure, a second goal eluded them before half-time.
Following 10 goalless minutes after the interval, Scaloni turned to the talismanic Lionel Messi to secure his side the victory – to which he duly obliged.
Before he could, though, wholesale changes were made which saw Alvarez replaced by Inter Milan’s Joaquin Correa on 78 minutes.
It took the eight-time Ballon D’or winner until the 86th minute to double his side’s advantage when he drove forward into Jamaica’s final third, and drilled a spectacular low strike into the bottom corner from range.
In true Messi fashion, his second of the game arguably bettered his first, when he whipped a free-kick from just outside the box low past Andre Blake with three minutes of the friendly remaining.
The success in New Jersey was the perfect way for Alvarez to sign off before his return to the Club ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Scaloni’s men will play a friendly against United Arab Emirates on 16 November before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia on 22 November.
