FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group J, Match 65 | Saturday, 27 June 2026 Dallas Stadium, Dallas, Texas | Referee: TBC
Nine changes. Messi on the bench. Argentina still won 3-1.
That is how good this squad is. Scaloni rotated almost his entire starting lineup, protected his captain’s legs for the knockout stage, and watched a group of fringe players beat Jordan comfortably. Then, when Jordan pulled one back in the second half and the result felt briefly uncertain, he sent Messi on. Four minutes later the free-kick went in. Argentina went to the Round of 32 without losing a game. Without conceding a single goal from open play. Without anyone seriously believing they could be beaten.
Six goals for Messi in three games. Seven consecutive World Cup matches with a goal — a new record, one no other player in the history of the competition has managed. The records keep coming at him from every direction and he keeps breaking them.
Lo Celso started the scoring in the 19th minute. A free-kick from just outside the area, beautifully struck, into the corner. One-nil and the rotated Argentina side looking comfortable. Then chaos in the 31st minute — Julián Álvarez hit the crossbar, Marcos Senesi forced a save while being kicked in the face in the process, and a penalty was awarded in the scramble. Lautaro Martínez converted. Two-nil. Dominant.
Jordan had refused to simply accept their elimination before this game and they refused to accept the scoreline after half-time too. Sellami’s changes at the break — tactical adjustments designed to get Al-Tamari more involved — worked immediately. Al Mardi and Haddad combined neatly, the ball was played wide, and Al-Tamari swept in Ehsan Haddad’s cross with real quality. A sensational goal. 2-1. Dallas Stadium fell briefly quiet. Argentina had been in trouble before in this tournament. They had come through it every time, but the nerves remained.
Scaloni acted immediately. Messi came on in the 76th minute. It had been coming all afternoon — the moment the crowd had been waiting for regardless of the score.
He barely needed time to settle. In the 80th minute, Messi won a free-kick at the edge of the box with a clever, experienced piece of play. He placed the ball. He stepped back. He struck it low and hard into the bottom corner. Abu Laila was rooted to the spot. He did not move. Nobody would have moved. The free-kick was struck too well.
3-1. Argentina home. Messi with his sixth goal of the tournament. The first player ever to score in seven successive World Cup matches.
After the final whistle, Al Rawabdeh — Jordan’s captain — spoke about pride, about what this tournament had meant to his country, about representing Palestine in every match. The sentiment was genuine and deserved acknowledgement. Jordan came to their first World Cup, lost all three games, and never stopped competing. In a group that included Argentina and Algeria, finishing with one goal and zero points is not the indictment it might look. The goal Al-Tamari scored in the 55th minute was one of the best individual goals of the tournament’s group stage.
Argentina face Cape Verde in the Round of 32 in Miami on July 3. The tournament debutants who drew with Spain. Another shock apparently waiting to happen. Nobody genuinely believes it will happen when they look at what Messi and his teammates have done across three group games. But Cape Verde are still here for a reason.
Nine changes from the Austria game. Perfect record. Six goals from Messi. Seven consecutive World Cup games scored in. Three clean sheets from open play. The defending champions are ready.
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Jordan 1-3 Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026, Group J, Match 65 | Saturday, 27 June 2026 Dallas Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Goals: Giovani Lo Celso 19′ (free-kick, Argentina), Lautaro Martínez 31′ pen (Argentina), Mousa Al-Tamari 55′ (Jordan, assist: Ehsan Haddad), Lionel Messi 80′ (free-kick, Argentina)
Messi came on as substitute in 76th minute — goal in 80th minute
Argentina (rotated XI — 9 changes): E. Martínez; Senesi, Otamendi, and others; Lo Celso, and others; Álvarez, L. Martínez Subs: Messi (76′), Abu Zraiq on for Jordan in 70s
Jordan: Abu Laila; Al Rawabdeh and defenders; Al Mardi, Haddad; Al-Tamari, Olwan
Stats: Possession Jordan 27% — Argentina 67% (6% contested) | Attempts 5-13 | Shots on Target 1-4 | xG Jordan 0.74 — Argentina 2.13 | Half-time: 0-2
Record: Lionel Messi — first player to score in seven successive World Cup matches
Group J final standings: Argentina 9 pts (perfect record, group winners) | Algeria 4 pts (advanced) | Austria 4 pts (advanced) | Jordan 0 pts (eliminated)
Round of 32: Argentina vs Cape Verde (Miami, July 3)
