The 2005 World Youth Championship final where Messi scored twice was played in Utrecht, Netherlands. Argentina defeated Nigeria 2–1 at Stadion Galgenwaard on 2 July 2005, with Messi scoring both of Argentina's goals from penalties.
The match was a defining early moment in Messi's international career. He opened the scoring in the 40th minute after being fouled in the penalty area, and then converted a second penalty in the 85th minute after Sergio Agüero was brought down. Nigeria briefly equalised through Chinedu Obasi, but Messi's late penalty secured Argentina's fifth world youth title.
Utrecht is sometimes mixed up with other Dutch host cities from the same tournament, including Enschede, Tilburg, Kerkrade, Doetinchem and Emmen. The final was held at Stadion Galgenwaard, the home ground of FC Utrecht, before an attendance of 24,500. The tournament was later rebranded as the FIFA U-20 World Cup.