Lionel Messi’s low free-kick turned Jordan’s brief resistance into another Argentina statement, sealing a 3-1 World Cup win at AT&T Stadium and a perfect group-stage record.
The Jordan Argentina World Cup match had already been shaped by control rather than chaos. With Argentina confirmed as group winners, Lionel Scaloni made nine changes, leaving Messi on the bench as only Emi Martinez and Lautaro Martinez kept their places.
Lo Celso drives Argentina into early control
There was still no let-up from the World Cup holders. Giovani Lo Celso had an early finish ruled out for offside, Nicolas Otamendi headed over from his corner, and the breakthrough arrived in the 19th minute when Lo Celso curled in a free-kick after being brought down on the edge of the box.
Argentina’s pressure kept stacking up. Lautaro Martinez struck the crossbar, Marco Senesi was then fouled by Nizar Alrashdan as he attacked the rebound, and a VAR check led to a penalty that Martinez converted in the 31st minute for 2-0.
Tamari revives Jordan before Messi settles it
Argentina again had the ball in the net early in the second half, but Lo Celso’s finish from Martinez’s cut-back was ruled out because Martinez was offside in the build-up. Jordan punished that reprieve in the 55th minute, Mousa Tamari turning in Ehsan Haddad’s low cross to make the contest feel alive.
That was the cue for Messi. After one free-kick from range went over, he won another on the edge of the area and, in the 80th minute, slid a low shot through a gap in the Jordan wall to make it 3-1.
Messi leads Golden Boot race as Argentina move on
The numbers matched the rhythm: Argentina had 73% possession, 12 shots to Jordan’s 5, 4 shots on target to 1, 6 corners to 1, and a passing advantage listed at 718 to 221. Jordan committed 11 fouls and received 2 yellow cards, while Argentina committed 7 fouls and had no bookings.
Messi now has 6 goals in 3 games at this tournament, extends his all-time World Cup record to 19, and has scored in a record 7 consecutive World Cup matches. Argentina finish rank 1 with 9 points from 3 wins, while Jordan exit rank 4 with 0 points from 3 defeats. Argentina’s next game is against Cape Verde Islands on 04/07.
Match Information
Competition: World Cup, Group Stage - 3. Date & Time: Sunday 28 June 2026, 04:00 CET. Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington. Referee: Istvan Kovacs, Romania.
