CLINICAL ARGENTINA EDGES LOWLY JORDAN
If this is Lionel Messi’s final World Cup, he seems determined to leave with every attacking record he can. The Argentina icon became the first player in tournament history to score in seven straight games, icing a closer-than-expected 3-1 win over a determined Jordan side. Manager Lionel Scaloni also found more attacking answers, with Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martínez joining in the scoring.
Despite the 72-place gap in the FIFA rankings, this was much closer than Argentina would have wanted - especially after halftime.
Lionel Messi had scored all five of Argentina's goals entering the group-stage finale against Jordan, but with the icon starting on the bench, his teammates showed they could help carry the attacking load.
Argentina started brightly, and Giovani Lo Celso nearly had his opener in the seventh minute after finishing off a slick passing move, only for the Betis midfielder to be ruled narrowly offside. He would not be denied for long. With Argentina holding nearly 90 percent of possession in the opening 14 minutes, Lo Celso stepped over a free kick and appeared to channel his eight-time Ballon d'Or-winning teammate, blasting a rocket past Yazeed Abulaila.
Some will argue the Jordan goalkeeper should have done better, but there was no denying the quality of Lo Celso's strike - or the importance of someone other than Messi setting the tone. Argentina's first-half dominance continued from there, as they turned their sizable possession advantage into a steady stream of set-piece opportunities. On one of their two corners, Scaloni's men earned another chance when Marcos Senesi drew a penalty while trying to attack a header. Lautaro Martínez calmly converted in the 31st minute to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.
Still, Argentina never fully turned that early control into a comfortable night, and Jordan grew into the game after halftime enough to make Scaloni's side work far harder than expected. Jordan manager Jamal Sellami brought on Mousa Tamari and Mahmoud Al Mardi, and the former made an almost immediate impact. With Argentina seemingly asleep defensively, Jordan hit on the counter, and Tamari finished to cut the deficit to 2-1.
After a nervy 10 minutes from La Albiceleste, Scaloni turned to his safety valve, bringing on Messi in the 60th minute. And, as he typically does, the legend delivered.
After a relatively quiet 20 minutes, Messi was given a free kick and fired a low, skidding effort past Abulaila to restore Argentina's cushion. With the goal, he became the first player in World Cup history to score in seven straight games. Argentina also became the first side since the 2010 Japan side to score on two free kicks in a game. It was enough to seal a perfect group stage for Scaloni's side, who now await Cape Verde in what should be an electric atmosphere in Miami.