Argentina never had to leave first gear to defeat Jordan 3–1 to wrap up its 2026 World Cup group stage, but not before Lionel Messi broke another record. Messi started from the bench as Giovani Lo Celso bent in a great free kick and Lautaro Martínez doubled La Albiceleste’s advantage from the penalty spot. But when Mousa Al-Tamari brought Jordan back in contention with a tap-in, Lionel Scaloni unleashed Messi. Ten minutes from stoppage-time, Argentina’s talisman—with some help from both Jordan’s wall and goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila—scored only the second free-kick goal of his World Cup career, bagging his sixth strike of the group stage to take a commanding lead in the Golden Boot race. The goal also saw Messi become the first player ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. In a meaningless match, Messi still needed to add to his legacy. Messi’s 19th career World Cup goal clinched a perfect group stage for Argentina. The defending champion is among the clear contenders and its knockout stage journey begins with a clash against Cabo Verde in the round of 32. Compete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDThe Moment That Defined The MatchGiovani Lo Celso (bottom) finally got his World Cup moment. | David Buono/Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesIn a game that had no bearing on Argentina’s World Cup future, nor Jordan’s for that matter, the feel-good moment of the match came when Lo Celso found the top corner 19 minutes in. The midfielder has been an important piece since the start of the Scaloni era with Argentina, playing a key role in both of La Albiceleste’s Copa América crowns, including assisting Lautaro Martínez’s match-winner in the 2024 final. But an injury just weeks before the tournament meant Lo Celso wasn’t part of the side that conquered Argentina’s third World Cup title in Qatar 2022. Four years earlier, Jorge Sampaoli controversially decided to leave the then-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder out of Argentina’s 2018 World Cup squad. His presence in 2026 was uncertain as fitness issues plagued him this season at Real Betis. Scaloni waited for him until the bitter end and Lo Celso managed to recover. Finally, the 30-year-old made his World Cup debut and bent a beautiful free kick that was wildly celebrated by the entire Argentina squad. The dead rubber allowed Scaloni to rotate his side, and Lo Celso was the biggest winner from that, at last getting his moment on the world stage. Argentina Player Ratings vs. Jordan (4-4–2)Lautaro Martínez finally scored his first World Cup goal. | Aric Becker/AFP/Getty Images*Ratings Provided by FotMob*GK: Emiliano Martínez—6.3: Was never truly tested until he got a hand to but was overpowered by Al-Tamari’s tap-in. Tidy in possession. RB: Exequiel Palacios—7.6: The Bayer Leverkusen man played out of position but was flawless. He constantly ventured forward and combined with other midfielders well while handling his defensive duties with ease.CB: Nicolás Otamendi—7.5: A walk in the park for Argentina’s defensive leader, who was able to impose his will on an unimpressive attack. CB: Marcos Senesi—7.4: Solid defensively and fearlessly dove for a header that didn’t result in a goal but he did win a penalty that Martínez buried. Solid World Cup debut.LB: Nicolás Tagliafico—6.9: The good news is that he was able to play a full match after starting the tournament in the infirmary. The bad news is that he still looks very rusty. RM: Giuliano Simeone—6.6: Galloped down the right flank tirelessly, regularly beating his man only to be let down by his erratic deliveries. CM: Nico Paz—7.1: Flashed some of that playmaking quality that’s made him one of European soccer’s shiny new toys. Still, his performance felt like a bit a of a tease, lacking end product. CM: Leandro Paredes—6.9: Could’ve had one of the assists of the tournament had Martínez timed a run better. He then failed to track his runner behind him, leading to Jordan’s goal. LM: Giovani Lo Celso—7.7: Stunning free kick to open the scoring on his World Cup debut—helped by a simply laughable effort from Jordan’s goalkeeper. ST: Julián Alvarez—6.5: Maybe the ongoing, highly-scrutinized transfer saga he’s headlining is affecting him because it’s been an uninspiring tournament from Alvarez so far. Perhaps that ankle injury he suffered late in the season is still a concern.ST: Lautaro Martínez—8.2: Nearly scored with a brilliantly subtle finish that hit the crossbar. Fortunately for him, the entire action ended in a penalty that he dispatched to score his first career World Cup goal. SUB: Alexis Mac Allister (60’ for Paz)—6.9: Being on the receiving end of what looked like a very painful kick was the highlight of his cameo. SUB: Thiago Almada (60’ for Lo Celso)—6.4: Comfortable simply passing the ball around waiting for the minutes to pass.SUB: Lionel Messi (60‘ for L. Martínez)—7.7: You just knew he was going to find a way to make the price of admission worth it for fans at AT&T stadium.SUB: Valentín Barco (71’ for Simeone)—6.6: Missed a few simple passes in his World Cup debut—probably the nerves. SUB: José Manuel López (82’ for Alvarez)—N/ASubs not used: Gerónimo Rulli (GK), Juan Musso (GK), Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Facundo Medina, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Nicolás González. What the Ratings Tell UsNicolás Otamendi was effective. | Hakan Akgun/Anadolu/Getty ImagesNicolás Otamendi had yet another stout World Cup performance, leading Argentina’s backline. With plenty of doubts surrounding Cristian Romero’s fitness, the veteran showed he can still be a very worthy replacement. On a night where Scaloni played his two world-class center forwards, Lautaro Martínez fared significantly better than the struggling Julián Álvarez. The Inter Milan man has been the starter all tournament and it doesn’t seem like that will change in the knockout rounds. Leandro Paredes clearly hasn’t recovered his best form since the injury he suffered playing for Boca Juniors on the eve of the World Cup. He might be one of Argentina’s leaders, but there’s simply no place for him on the pitch when La Albiceleste deploys its stongest XI. The Numbers That Explain Argentina’s Comfortable WinArgentina put the game to sleep from the start by dominating possession, finishing the game with a 73% edge over its rivals.Jordan could only muster one shot on goal all night and had just four touches in Argentina’s box. It wasn’t the most spectacular attacking performance from Scaloni’s side, but if you score from two free kicks that had a combined xG of 0.18, everything is easier. StatisticJordanArgentinaPossession27%73%xG0.742.13Total Shots512Shots on Target14Big Chances13Pass Accuracy80%92%Fouls137Corners26READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow