Mission Accomplished by Argentina!
Argentina crushed Jordan 3-1
Arlington, Texas, USA, Jun 27 (EFE).- By Óscar González
Argentina, fielding a B lineup and without needing Lionel Messi for the first hour, cruised past Jordan team 3-1 on Friday, scoring all three goals from set pieces — the last by the captain — to secure a third straight victory and head to Miami with confidence for the round of 16, where surprise qualifier Cape Verde awaits.
Mission accomplished for Lionel Scaloni’s side, which advanced to the knockout stage with nine points, added another goal to Messi’s tally and boosted squad depth, including five World Cup debuts: Marcos Senesi, Giuliano Simeone and Nico Paz as starters, plus Valentín Barco and José Manuel López off the bench.
For Jordan, which had shown flashes of quality against Austria and Algeria, the test was satisfactory. The underdogs competed bravely, though early mistakes left them exposed to a potential rout in the opening half hour.
Costly errors included a foul on Julián Álvarez at the edge of the box and a poorly set wall that allowed Giovani Lo Celso to curl home the opener in the 19th minute. Ten minutes later, a Jordan defender struck Senesi in the face while attempting to clear a header that Lautaro Martínez had rattled off the crossbar. After a VAR review, Martínez converted the penalty.
Both goals also lifted players in need of scoring. Lo Celso has seen injuries limit his role, while Martínez’s drought in official matches — overshadowed by Messi — had stretched back to a Nov. 19, 2024, qualifier against Peru.
The match was so comfortable that Argentina eased off after halftime. Although Martínez went close again and another Lo Celso goal was ruled out for offside, a defensive lapse involving Leandro Paredes allowed Moussa Altamari to beat Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, denying the goalkeeper another clean sheet.
That wake-up call prompted Scaloni to send Messi on after the hour, giving him a chance to pull ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race. The captain did not miss his chance, converting a centrally placed free kick for his sixth goal of the tournament in the 80th minute.
Argentina now awaits sterner tests in the knockout rounds, but for now remains in control.
Scoring:
ARG — Lo Celso 19, Martínez (penalty) 30, Messi 80.
JOR — Altamari 55.
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington. Attendance: 70,649.
A minute of silence was observed before kickoff in memory of victims of the Venezuela earthquakes. EFE og/lds
