Diego Maradona returned to the Argentina bench as a team of home-based players beat a young Costa Rica side 3-2 on Tuesday in a World Cup warm-up match.
The friendly, played in the western Argentine province of San Juan, saw Maradona back on the touchline after serving a two-month ban from FIFA for a foul-mouthed tirade at reporters.
Argentina twice took the lead through Estudiantes midfielder Jose Sosa in the 11th minute and Rosario Central defender Guillermo Burdisso in the 38th.
Costa Rica found an equalizer on both occasions: Saprissa midfielder Michael Barrantes leveled in the 21st and Universidad striker Diego Madrigal pulled the sides level for the second time in the 77th.
Arsenal striker Franco Jara hit the winner for Argentina in the 80th minute.
Maradona has used more than 90 players in 15 matches since taking charge of the national side in November 2008. He must prune the squad to 23 in time for the finals in South Africa.
Costa Rica failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup after losing to Uruguay in a playoff and fielded a young side as part of a move to rebuild the national team ahead of the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Argentina will face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B at the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Maradona has been invited by Uruguayan President-elect Jose Mujica to take part in an anti-drugs campaign giving talks to young people, El Observador newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Maradona, who was addicted to drugs during most of his playing career, has accepted the invitation but only after the World Cup in South Africa which ends in mid-July, it quoted Mujica as saying.
Left-wing former guerrilla Mujica, due to be inaugurated on March 1, said he wants Maradona to speak to youths “not only about drugs, but about sports, about grabbing a ball, doing a physical activity and so perhaps getting away from other things.”
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