The group stage third round match between the national teams of Argentina and Jordan ended with the victory of the current world champions. They won with a score of 3:1.
The main news before the game was that Lionel Messi would start on the bench – this was announced by "albiceleste" head coach Lionel Scaloni. At the same time, he promised that the captain would come onto the field after the break. Presumably, there were several reasons for this decision. First, Leo rested a bit before the playoffs. Secondly, someone else got the chance to score goals: Messi was the author of all the goals scored by the Argentinians in the tournament.
The one who tried most to take advantage of this opportunity was Giovani Lo Celso. Although his first goal was canceled due to offside, later he scored without any doubt: at the 19th minute, he directly targeted the goal from a free kick. Soon after, the South Americans earned a penalty and Lautaro Martínez successfully converted it.
Scaloni kept his word: Messi entered the field in the second half. However, this happened after Jordan scored to reduce the deficit by one goal. Musa Al-Tamari, who came on as a substitute, completed the pass with a goal. Nevertheless, the last point in the match was made by the Argentinians, and it was done by the team captain who recently turned 39. Leo was also remembered for a precise strike from a free kick. He reached the scoring record in World Cups with 19 goals and became the first player in history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. /publika.az