Lionel Messi just can't help hogging the headlines.
Even when he's handed a rest, he still manages to go on and make himself the star of the show. Again.
For 80 minutes of this one-sided game, it looked like being a case of no Messi, no problem for Argentina. Not when someone like Giovani Lo Celso can produce the kind of goal the great man himself would be proud of. Lauturo Martinez added a second and it felt like for once, the mercurial skills of Messi were not needed.
But as promised, Lionel Scaloni introduced Messi on the hour mark. Which was more than enough time for him to create yet more footballing history. With his late free kick making him the first player ever to score in seven consecutive World Cup games. A run which started against Australia in the last 16 of the last World Cup in Qatar. Providing another glorious addition to his personal highlight reel from this 2026 edition in North America and ensuring Argentina won all three group games at a finals for the first time.
