BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Rodrigo Palacio scored three goals and Javier Saviola added a fourth to help Argentina beat an under-20 team 4-0 Wednesday night in a raucous World Cup send-off celebration.

At River Plate's Monumental Stadium where Argentina won its first Cup trophy over a quarter century ago, 50,000 fans packed the sold-out stands for a 60-minute mini-matchup between the youth players and the 23-man roster.

The informal matchup was billed as a game "among Argentines" but it was more a departure ceremony as the Argentine national team departs Thursday for a series of friendly warmups in Europe ahead of the World Cup.

Argentines, still recoiling from their unceremonious first-round ejection from the 2002 Cup, thundered their support for the 23-man roster, roaring approval for every goal. The early rout from Korea-Japan in 2002 was the worst Cup showing in history for Argentina, a two-time champion and one of the favorites last time.

Lionel Messi, a star forward for Barcelona of Spain who is one of the brightest hopes of the squad at age 18, said he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotion from the national team's supporters.

"The backing of the people is just incredible. It really gives us real momentum heading to Germany and motivation to perform well," said Messi, who played a few minutes to show he was recovering well from a March 7 muscle pull that sidelined him for weeks.

Argentina won the championship at the River Plate stadium in 1978. The country also won the 1986 Cup with star Diego Maradona at the helm in Mexico.

Amid flying confetti Wednesday night, fans waved signs reading: "Good luck, Argentina!" "Argentina we love you!" and "Go, Champions!"

"We will always carry this moment with us. We are deeply touched," Argentine coach Jose Pekerman said.

On Thursday, Argentina departs for Salerno, Italy, for a friendly May 31 against Angola. The following day, Argentina arrives in Germany for training ahead of the tournament.

Argentina plays Ivory Coast on June 10 in Hamburg, Germany, in a Group C opener. Other teams in Group C are Serbia-Montenegro and the Netherlands.