DALLAS — World Cup debutant Jordan faced off against defending champion Argentina in a packed Dallas stadium on matchday three of Group J play. Heading into the fixture, Argentina had already secured back-to-back wins in their first two group matches, sitting comfortably atop the group standings with six full points. For Jordan, the encounter offered little at stake: the side had failed to pick up any points across their earlier two outings, and were playing just to fulfill their final group stage obligation.
Looking ahead to the knockout round, Argentine manager Lionel Scaloni opted to field a completely changed starting lineup, giving his star core much-needed rest after two intense opening matches. With talisman Lionel Messi having been responsible for almost all of Argentina’s goals in the tournament to date, many pundits and fans questioned whether the rotated side would still find the back of the net. Another storyline heading into kickoff was Argentina’s unbroken defensive record: the defending champions had not conceded a single goal through the first two matches, and Jordan was determined to become the first side to breach that line. Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs took charge of the contest.
The opening half got off to a fast start, with Giovani Lo Celso seeing an early goal ruled out for offside. The Tottenham midfielder did not let the setback slow him down, and in the 19th minute, he converted a perfectly placed free kick to put Argentina ahead 1-0, earning a nod of approval from Messi watching from the bench. In the 28th minute, Julian Alvarez was struck in the face after looping a header over Jordan’s goalkeeper, and a VAR review awarded Argentina a penalty. Inter striker Lautaro Martínez stepped up and buried the spot kick to double Argentina’s lead to 2-0 heading into halftime. Controversy struck before the break, however: VAR failed to award Jordan a penalty for a handball by Lo Celso inside his own penalty area, leaving Jordan trailing at the break without the chance to pull a goal back.
After halftime, Jordan emerged reinvigorated, carving out several clear scoring chances that failed to find the mark in the final third. In the 55th minute, Musa Al-Taamari became the first player at the 2026 World Cup to beat Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, slotting home a consolation goal to cut the deficit to 2-1. Just over five minutes later, with the game still in the balance, Messi was brought off the bench to steady the ship and bring control back to Argentina’s play. In the 80th minute, after being fouled just outside Jordan’s penalty area, Messi stepped up to take the resulting free kick. He curled a clinical effort past goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila to restore Argentina’s two-goal lead, extending his historic record by becoming the first player in men’s World Cup history to score in seven consecutive tournament matches.
The full-time whistle left Argentina with a 3-1 win and a perfect three wins from three group stage matches, securing their place in the knockout round where they will face World Cup underdog Cape Verde. The result confirms that even without Messi starting every match, Argentina has enough depth in attack to pick up results, with other talented players stepping up to contribute goals in the star’s rested absence. For Jordan, Al-Taamari’s goal proved that Argentina’s previously unbeatable defense is not unbreachable, giving the debut nation a historic milestone to take home from their first ever World Cup campaign.