Roberto Pereyra came off the bench to net his second international goal and round off the scoring for Argentina as they beat Nicaragua 5-1 in a warm-up for the Copa America.

The Watford midfielder replaced Matias Suarez 12 minutes into the second half and scored his side’s final goal with nine minutes of the game remaining, making a late run into the box to tap a Rodrigo De Paul cross into an empty net.

The 28-year-old’s previous goal for his country had come in a 4-0 friendly win over Iraq in November and it was the first time he has scored since netting in Watford’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Boxing Day.

Argentina led 2-0 at the break thanks to two goals in as many minutes from Lionel Messi, with half-time substitute Lutaro Martinez adding numbers three and four in the 63rd and 73rd minutes.

Lionel Scaloni’s side start their Copa America campaign against Colombia next Saturday and also face Paraguay and Qatar in Group B.

There was disappointment for Juan Camilo ‘Cucho’ Hernandez though, as Colombia’s hopes of Under-20 World Cup glory ended with a 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in the quarter-finals in Poland.

The Hornets striker, who scored a hat-trick in the group stages against Tahiti, was largely restricted to attempts from distance as Ukraine stifled their opponents effectively.

“We did not use the ball as well as we did in previous games, Colombia coach Arturo Reyes told the FIFA website after. “That is why we had problems today. The second half was better, but ultimately we were not able to be efficient enough.

“Of course there was a dream to go to the semi-finals or final, but the reality is different. Our players did well and represented their country with dignity."