The Argentina captain scored from a late free-kick in the 3-1 win over Jordan as the holders reached the Round of 32 with a perfect group record.
Lionel Messi has added another chapter to his World Cup story after scoring in Argentina’s 3-1 win over Jordan.
The result sent the defending champions into the knockout stage with a perfect Group J record.
Messi started on the bench in Dallas, but he still found his moment.
He came on after the break and scored with an 80th-minute free-kick to seal the win. He was reported as the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, continuing a run that began during Argentina’s title-winning campaign in Qatar.
It was not just another goal.
It was another reminder that Argentina’s title defence still bends around Messi, even when Lionel Scaloni rotates his team and manages his captain’s minutes.
Argentina were already in control before Messi entered.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring with a free-kick. Lautaro Martinez then converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-0 before half-time.
Jordan responded after the break through Musa Al-Taamari. That goal gave the game brief tension and forced Argentina to manage a shift in momentum.
Then Messi ended the contest.
The 38-year-old curled in Argentina’s third goal with the kind of set-piece authority that has defined so much of his career. The goal was reported as his record-extending 19th at the World Cup.
That is the problem Argentina keep giving opponents.
They can rotate. They can protect key players. They can share responsibility across the squad.
But when the game still needs a final word, Messi remains capable of providing it.
Argentina are scheduled to face Cape Verde in Miami in the Round of 32. That tie gives the knockout stage one of its sharpest contrasts: the defending champions against one of the tournament’s great underdog stories.
Cape Verde will not arrive as passengers.
They have already shown organisation, belief and counter-attacking threat. Against Argentina, they will need all of that and more.
Still, Argentina’s group-stage message is clear.
They are not just surviving as holders. They are controlling games, protecting key players and still finding decisive quality when pressure rises.
For Messi, the World Cup was supposed to have reached its perfect ending in Qatar.
Instead, he is still scoring, still bending records and still forcing the tournament to make room for one more chapter.
