The side returned to Ouagadougou after a difficult trip to Argentina, where it lost a friendly. Lionel Scaloni thanked the players for agreeing to take the field.
Burkina Faso’s under-23 team received a ceremonial welcome in Ouagadougou after returning from Argentina, where it lost 7-0 to the hosts in a friendly. Players were met at the airport and decorated. Sports, Youth and Employment Minister Annick Pikbougoum/Zingué Ouattara called their participation a patriotic act and thanked them for keeping their commitment to play.
The trip to the match was marked by major logistical problems. The delegation spent several days in Casablanca before flying into Buenos Aires on Saturday, October 3, shortly before the game at the Monumental stadium. The flight from Morocco took 11 hours and 42 minutes and covered more than 9,200 kilometres. The plane landed at Ezeiza at 3:43 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m.
The team travelled from the airport to its hotel, had a late lunch and then went to the stadium. La Nación reported that the players entered the field about an hour and a half before kickoff, taking photographs and looking around the venue. Only Bebel Doumbia from the original squad list made the trip. Moussa Sanogo coached the side in place of head coach Amir Abdou, and the federation said several key players were absent.
Despite the 7-0 score, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni praised the visitors’ effort. He said Burkina Faso could have stayed home and the match could have been called off, but the players travelled a long distance and played without proper rest. Scaloni said Argentina treated the game seriously out of respect for its opponents and for football.