Messi’s free-kick buries Jordan as Iran dumped

Messi free-kick – Lionel Messi extended Argentina’s Golden Boot lead with a low free-kick that doubled as a statement in Jordan’s 3-1 defeat. In a late, brutal six-goal swing, Iran’s World Cup ended with Algeria’s 3-3 draw with Austria pushing the team out on the final day’s ma

When Lionel Messi came on for Argentina in the 59th minute, the game already looked controlled. Ten minutes from time, it became personal.

Messi ended Jordan’s resistance with a clever free-kick that skimmed low around the wall and wrong-footed the goalkeeper. It was his 19th World Cup goal. extending his lead in the race for the Golden Boot to two ahead of Kylian Mbappe on six. The strike also made Messi the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. sealing a polished performance for the champions as they finished 3-1.

Giovani Lo Celso had given Argentina the lead with his own wonderful free-kick before Lautaro Martinez doubled the advantage from the spot. Musa Al-Taamari pulled Jordan back through a reply, but Messi’s late goal put the result to bed.

Down the table and deeper into the night, the tournament’s pain was much less clinical.

Algeria and Austria produced one of the World Cup’s best games so far, and the story ended with cruelty for Iran. Despite Riyad Mahrez scoring in the 93rd minute to put Algeria 3-2 up, Sasa Kalajdzic’s header arrived with the last real action of the match to make it 3-3—and it confirmed Iran’s exit.

Iran had thought Mahrez’s late moment had finally saved them. It wasn’t enough. The match may have been frantic rather than casual, but the outcome for the Iranians was exactly the same: dumped out after their campaign ended with a point too few.

That knockout heartbreak sat alongside a clear picture emerging across the standings. Final third-place rankings determined the top eight teams advancing into the knockouts. Among them were DR Congo, Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Algeria, Paraguay and Senegal. Iran. despite their hopes. were left outside the last-32 after their tournament ended with 0 wins and 3 draws. finishing with no goals in the win column and a record that meant they were forced to watch rather than travel.

DR Congo still had their own mission to deliver. Needing to win to set up a knockout game against England, they secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Uzbekistan in Group K. Yoan Wissa scored twice, giving the nation its first ever World Cup win.

Wissa spoke of what the result meant in a country that has been ravaged by war and is currently fighting an Ebola outbreak, saying: “We are a proud country. We are proud people. We love our country. We love our national team. We love what we represent!”

There was no room for relief elsewhere either.

Colombia and Portugal played out a 0-0 draw in Group K. and a late moment was stolen from Colombia by VAR. Davinson Sanchez scored from a late toe—only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Portugal’s next step is now defined by what that point changes: Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates finished behind their Group K rivals in second spot. facing a tricky route to the World Cup final.

Roberto Martinez’s side will play Croatia in the next round, with a likely meeting with local rivals Spain if both teams make it through to the last 16.

England, for their part, finished the group stage on top with a record-breaking performance even if it wasn’t pretty all the way.

They beat Panama 2-1 in Group L at the New York New Jersey Stadium after toiling against another challenging low block in the first half. Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock by scoring from a corner to give England the lead. Five minutes later, Harry Kane doubled England’s advantage with Bellingham providing the assist.

England kept a clean sheet, too, despite a wild Panama effort from distance that saw Jordan Pickford initially chalked off for offside—only for England to keep their stand.

Croatia’s night ended with the consequences stacking up beyond their own game.

In Philadelphia, Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 in Group L, and it also confirmed Scotland’s World Cup exit. Scotland had needed Ghana to win by three goals to keep alive faint hopes of reaching the last 32. Instead, Croatia finished second, and Ghana progressed in third place with a point more than Scotland.

Petar Sucic put Croatia ahead on the half hour. Derrick Luckassen levelled in the 76th minute, with the goal confirmed after a lengthy VAR review. Nikola Vlasic then scored the winner late on to settle matters.

The tournament’s football told one story. The people watching told another.

In Seattle. the image of a young woman on the front of many T-shirts around the stadium became impossible to miss. Setayesh Shafiei had been brought up in an orphanage and put a difficult start behind her. but she died at 20 while trying to help a 12-year-old boy who’d been wounded when the Iranian military cracked down on protests against the nation’s despotic regime.

She was one of 42,000 who lost their lives in a few days in January. The report from the grounds described the American-Iranians diaspora protesting in Seattle against Iran’s regime and its grip over the Iran FA and the team. The diaspora believed the team, as a symbol of a murderous state, should have been banned. Yet that very team fought like heroes to reach the knockout stages and played with fury against Egypt. The presence of those players, the account stresses, allowed the stories of those who died to be heard.

Up in New York, England’s match felt bigger than the scoreline to the people inside the stadium. Thomas Tuchel was asked whether the win over Panama felt like Wembley. “Yes, he did,” he said, but he added that it couldn’t be the same because of the lack of paper aeroplanes.

Jude Bellingham’s mood did the talking, and Tuchel described “the crazy white wall” behind one goal as the kind of atmosphere England will keep needing if they are to progress deeper into the tournament.

There was also plenty of movement beyond the pitch. Celebrity watch at the New York New Jersey Stadium included David Beckham, alongside Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo from England’s Lionesses, as well as darts supremo Luke Littler with his family.

Then came a viral moment from Fox’s Sweden pundit segment. where Zlatan Ibrahimovic took over Rebecca Lowe’s hosting slot. “It’s not an act. I’m the host. ” he deadpanned before asking. “Can you get me a cup of tea. please?” as Ibrahimovic also told Lowe that “After one month. I’m going to be the President of America.”.

England’s progress had its own milestone. Harry Kane’s goal to double their lead against Panama took his tally at finals in England’s colours to 11, making him his country’s all-time highest World Cup goalscorer.

Croatia’s Luka Modric added another marker. Beating Ghana to qualify second in Group L, Modric provided an assist for Nikola Vlasic’s winner. At 40 years and 291 days old, he became the oldest player to do so in World Cup history since records began in 1966.

Now the bracket is set for the last 32.

Today’s fixtures begin with South Africa taking on Canada at 8pm in Los Angeles. The scheduling quirk is sharp: there is no day of rest between the group stage ending and the round of 32. with only a single tie acting as the curtain-raiser. It also notes that this is the first time South Africa have qualified for the World Cup knockout stages.

The spotlight is also on injuries and timing for the teams that move next. England fans will watch Jarrell Quansah’s ankle situation after he limped off in the second half against Panama; Reece James is already out with a hamstring problem. Tuchel said Quansah’s injury was “a classic ankle twist” and described it as painful. noting compression and ice and that it is “just too painful.” Tuchel also referenced Tino Livramento withdrawing from the squad with a calf issue.

Iran’s exit is also framed as anything but quiet. Iran were strong in condemning FIFA and the USA for what they perceived as unfair treatment at the World Cup. Their campaign was dogged by travel and visa restrictions and weeks of mudslinging between Iranian officials and US authorities. With their elimination confirmed after Austria’s draw with Algeria. it’s hard to see the tournament closing the door politely on their story.

And with the final 32 teams confirmed. the whole tournament shifts to matchups: Argentina’s potential route starts with Cape Verde. then Australia or Egypt. then one of Colombia. Ghana. Algeria or Switzerland for a place in the semi-final. Germany and France are described as on a collision course for the last 16. with Spain and Portugal also facing a likely meeting.

For now, the messages from last night are unmissable. Messi’s goal changed the Golden Boot race. A late header in a 3-3 thriller changed everything for Iran. And as England chase deeper progress and the bracket locks teams into the knockout grind. the tournament’s biggest emotions are still being written in the final minutes.

World Cup Messi Golden Boot Jordan vs Argentina Iran elimination Algeria vs Austria England vs Panama Croatia vs Ghana VAR offside last 32 fixtures Modric Kane