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 already secured first place in Group J before the match. Jordan, playing in his first ever World Cup, ended his campaign with three defeats. Argentina will now face Cape Verde in the Round of 16 on Friday in Miami.
Lo Celso and Martinez brought Argentina under control
With nine changes to the starting 11, 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 goal at the World Cup and also the first scored by an Argentinian player other than Lionel Messi at 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 goalmouth scramble. Moments earlier, Martinez 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 and writes history
Messi started on the bench after Argentina had already won first place in the group. The 39-year-old entered the game 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 overall at the World Cup, extending his record as the leading goalscorer in World Cup history.This goal also made him the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. He came into the game after scoring all five of Argentina’s goals in wins over Algeria and Austria, including his first World Cup hat-trick and a record-breaking brace against Austria.
