Lionel Messi and Argentina made more World Cup history in Dallas with a 3-1 win against Jordan. Lionel Messi scored off the bench to become the first player to net in seven straight World Cup matches.
Lionel Messi and Argentina made more World Cup history in Dallas with a 3-1 win against Jordan. Lionel Messi scored off the bench to become the first player to net in seven straight World Cup matches.
This was the follow-up to Argentina's earlier group-stage story: the record was already moving, and Messi finished it. In Dallas, Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 and closed Group J with a perfect three wins from three.
Lionel Messi came off the bench after an hour and scored in the 80th minute. The goal took him to 19 in World Cup matches, an all-time high, and made him the first player to score in seven consecutive matches at the tournament.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a direct free kick, then Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 31st. Jordan improved after half-time and Mousa Altamari scored in the 55th minute to cut the deficit.
Messi entered with Argentina already in charge and later sealed the result with another free kick. The finish also extended his run as the tournament's leading scorer this year, with six goals.
Lionel Scaloni said Messi could have played longer, but Argentina wanted to manage his minutes. “Today he could have played 90 minutes,” Scaloni said. “He wanted his teammates to have time on the pitch and to save himself also for what’s coming up now. He doesn’t think so much about the numbers that people are talking about.”
Scaloni also said: “What you’re seeing, I’m seeing the same thing. It’s a little bit of an uncomfortable situation every single time people ask because I no longer know what to say.”
Lo Celso, who scored Argentina's first goal, said: “I am very happy for him, for the moment he is having. The truth is that seeing him every day excites, excites and infects a lot. So obviously seeing him like that for us is very important.”
Argentina finished the group stage with nine points, which was only the fifth time they have won all three matches in the opening round. It was their first perfect group stage since 2014.
Jordan, ranked 72nd, lost all three games in its first World Cup campaign and finished with three goals scored and eight conceded. Argentina now move on to Cape Verde in the round of 32 in Miami, the home of Messi's Major League Soccer team.
