Watch Pezzella score his first goal for Argentina

It can be tough to find a whole lot of Fiorentina news during the international breaks, but this is a pretty fun thing. Club captain Germán Pezzella made his 5th appearance for Argentina today in a friendly against Iraq as manager Lionel Scaloni opted for a rather experimental side for the clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but la Albiceleste still made it look routine against their less-fancied opponents.

In the 82nd minute, though, Viola fans got something a little more exciting. Franco Cervi served in a corner that was popped up to the back post, and Pezzella timed his run perfectly to bullet his header into the back of the net to make it 3-0. It was his first goal for his country, and may help cement his place as a regular under Scaloni.

That was exciting enough. After all, Fiorentina stars have a habit of getting passed over for international duty; just ask Borja Valero, Gonzalo Rodríguez, and Sebastien Frey. Now 27, Pezzella certainly deserves a shot based on form and talent; it’s a bit absurd, really, that this was just his 5th cap.

But the way that he celebrated the goal should get purple hearts all abuzz. After embracing his teammates, he held up one finger on his right hand and three on his left. That 13, in memory of Davide Astori, got me going a little bit. It’s just another reminder that the Viola are lucky to have Pezzella wearing the armband. He’s pure class.