Defender Javier Zanetti won an Argentine record 140th cap in the match, which his team controlled at will against mediocre opponents.
Striker Ezequiel Lavezzi put the Copa hosts ahead in the fifth minute, sticking the ball over goalkeeper Arjan Beqaj from Messi's perfect pass, before Messi made it 2-0 in the 43rd, taking the ball from Lavezzi's lay off and striking a low left-footed shot inside the base of Beqaj's post.
"Lionel had a great match, generating scoring chances and scoring," coach Sergio Batista said of Messi, who took his international tally to 17 in 57 matches.
"The team played well. There are things that need adjusting because our opponents did not attack much and did not see much of the ball, but I'm happy because we showed everything we've been practising," he told reporters.
"These kind of matches help us to get confidence and get to know each other better," said Lavezzi.
"It was not as hard as it's going to be in the Copa [America] but it's useful to get our movements right," Tevez told Argentine TV.
