Messi late – Lionel Messi entered midway through the second half and scored on a free kick in the 78th minute as Argentina closed World Cup Group J play with a 3-1 win over Jordan on Friday, June 27. Argentina led 2-0 at halftime on goals by Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Ma
ARLINGTON, Texas — Lionel Messi didn’t walk into the match until midway through the second half, but once he arrived, it quickly turned into the kind of night Argentina can protect with one decisive moment.
On Friday. June 27. Messi entered with the score already sitting at 2-0. then scored his sixth World Cup goal of the tournament when he struck a free kick from just outside the box in the 78th minute. That goal gave Argentina a 3-1 lead that held for the rest of the game as the team finished Group J with a 3-0 record and shifted attention to its Round of 32 matchup.
Argentina’s first-half control was established with two set-piece goals. Giovani Lo Celso scored in the 19th minute, and Lautaro Martinez made it 2-0 in the 31st minute. Martinez also converted a penalty kick earlier in the match that was the first taken by an Argentine player at the World Cup other than Messi since June 12. 2002. For Martinez, it was also the first World Cup goal of his career in his ninth appearance. The penalty kick came after a Jordan foul, which was called after VAR review.
Jordan finally found the net in the 54th minute when Mousa Tamari scored a tap-in to make it 2-1. The goal was Jordan’s third at the World Cup so far and also the team’s third ever at the tournament. After that. the match still belonged to Argentina. even as the atmosphere shifted from celebration to tension around every free kick and every defensive stand.
Argentina’s late surge became permanent at the 78th minute. Messi’s free kick from just outside the box made it 3-1, and it was the seventh consecutive World Cup appearance in which he scored, a new all-time tournament record.
The evening in Arlington carried the weight of a future being tested. Argentina had already won Group J regardless of the result. and manager Lionel Scaloni had said on June 26 that Messi would not be in the starting lineup against Jordan. giving him rest. It was both a practical choice and a glimpse into what comes next—especially with this set described as Messi’s last World Cup.
Argentina finished group play 3-0 overall. and now looks ahead to the Round of 32 match against Cape Verde on July 3 in Miami. The draw path is already taking shape: Argentina would face the winner of Egypt and Australia for a quarterfinal spot. and it would likely meet a team from the Switzerland. Iran. Colombia or Ghana groupings. though that part of the bracket had not been fully determined.
In the stadium, the matchup played out like a home crowd. Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington was packed for Argentina-Jordan, with 70,649 fans in attendance. The scene built from pregame intensity—Argentina fans filling the wide concourses. the Argentina bus projected on the stadium’s massive screen. many sipping mate. including Dibu Martinez—into a match where Argentina held possession at 83% through the first stretches compared with Jordan’s 13%.
The substitutions and lineup choices underlined the same message Scaloni gave before kickoff: Argentina’s depth would matter. Messi came on for Lautaro Martinez after entering midway through the second half. Alexis Mac Allister came in for Nico Paz, and Thiago Almada subbed for Giovani Lo Celso. The match also featured a moment where Jordan made its own early adjustment. with defender Mo Abualnadi coming on at halftime.
Lo Celso’s performance included both momentum and frustration. He initially had a goal called offside after an early attempt. but he later scored his first-ever World Cup goal in the 16th minute from just outside the box. with a left-footed strike that hit the top-left of the goal and left Jordan’s goalkeeper unmoving. Later in the match. Lo Celso scored again in the 48th minute on a pass from Lautaro Martinez. but Martinez was called offside early in the play’s development.
Argentina’s dominance showed in the chances that didn’t quite finish. Lautaro Martinez struck the crossbar on a shot. and Marcos Senesi nearly cashed in on a header after being kicked in the face. Officials reviewed a possible penalty in the box. and there was a announced five minutes of extra time in the first half.
For Jordan, the tournament carried history even before the final whistle. This was Jordan’s first World Cup, and the team had scored in each game. After the match. manager Jamal Sellami said: “They all dream of winning the World Cup. so no matter who the player is. he will be carrying the dream of the Argentine team. Of course, if Messi plays he’s one of the best players in the world. If not. anyway. we’ll be playing against a very strong and solid team.” He added. “We will be focusing on our qualifications. our capabilities and we want to make a good memory for the Jordanian team in its first World Cup participation.”.
Sellami’s comments reflected a reality Argentina couldn’t ignore: Jordan still had a reason to fight for something better than a group-stage goodbye. Even with Argentina qualified and resting its star. Jordan entered with the chance to leave with a point or even three against the tournament favorites.
Back in the pregame narrative, there had been personal stories woven into the roster. Jordan defender Mo Abualnadi. from Overland Park. Kansas. played college soccer at Notre Dame and Pitt. and he entered as a halftime substitute. Another detail underscored the stakes for Jordan beyond the scoreboard—an earlier note described how the team’s approach included a wide range of backgrounds. with a Kansas City native. reported to have nearly stopped playing soccer to pursue pharmacy school. choosing to stay with pro soccer.
Argentina. meanwhile. framed its own motive in familiar terms: keeping the mentality it had on the road to the 2022 world championship. With Messi resting for the start. the lineup also included Nico Paz. a 21-year-old forward for Serie A side Como. who made his first World Cup start. Behind the scenes of the crowd noise and the match drama. the decision looked like a gamble worth taking once Messi finally entered.
When the final moments arrived, the picture was already clear: Messi’s one decisive free kick at the 78th minute turned a comfortable 2-0 advantage into a 3-1 finish, locked Argentina into the Round of 32, and let the team move forward without having to risk more than it needed.
The next assignment is set—Cape Verde in Miami on July 3—after an Arlington night that belonged to a late cameo, the record that came with it, and the quiet message that the team’s future will arrive one match at a time.
Argentina Jordan 3-1 Lionel Messi World Cup Group J Giovani Lo Celso Lautaro Martinez Cape Verde Round of 32 AT&T Stadium Arlington July 3 Miami