NEW DELHI: Defending champions Argentina ended the group stage with three wins from three after beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday.Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez and Lionel Messi scored for Argentina, who had already secured top spot in Group J before the match. Jordan, playing in his first World Cup, ended his campaign with three defeats. Argentina will now face Cape Verde in the Round of 32 on Friday in Miami.
Lo Celso and Martinez put Argentina in control
With nine changes to the starting XI, Argentina still looked comfortable.Lo Celso, making his first World Cup start, opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a brilliant direct free kick. It was his first World Cup goal and also the first scored by an Argentinian player other than Lionel Messi in this tournament.Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead in the 31st minute from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded after a VAR review showed that Julian Alvarez had been kicked in the face during a goal scramble. Moments earlier, Martinez had hit the crossbar from close range.The goal was also Martinez’s first at the 2026 World Cup. He and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez were the only outfield players to start all three group games for Argentina.
Messi comes off the bench to make history
Messi started on the bench after Argentina had already closed the first place in the group. The 39-year-old came on in the 60th minute, just three days after his birthday, replacing Lautaro Martinez.Twenty minutes later, he scored from a free kick to make it 3-1.It was Messi’s sixth goal of the tournament and his 19th World Cup goal overall, extending his record as the top male scorer in World Cup history.The goal also made him the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. He had entered the game having scored all five of Argentina’s goals in wins over Algeria and Austria, including his first World Cup hat-trick and a record brace against Austria.
