Argentina closed Group J with the scoreline and the flourish it wanted, beating Jordan 3-1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington behind two first-half set pieces and Lionel Messi’s late free kick off the bench.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the match in the 19th minute with a left-footed free kick into the top corner, and Lautaro Martínez made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 31st after a VAR-confirmed foul on Marcos Senesi. Jordan made the night interesting when halftime substitute Mousa Al-Tamari finished Ehsan Haddad’s cross in the 55th, but Messi arrived on the hour and restored Argentina’s two-goal cushion with another free kick in the 80th.
The result left Argentina perfect at 3-0-0, top of Group J on nine points and plus-seven goal difference. Austria and Algeria finished behind on four points, while Jordan’s first World Cup ended at 0-0-3 after a group that still gave the debutant a loud Al-Tamari moment against the defending champions.
Highlights: Argentina’s set-piece edge
Messi turns control into closure
Argentina had already done enough before Messi entered, but the last half hour changed the texture of the match. The defending champion had 73.3 percent possession, completed 736 of 800 passes and produced 12 shots to Jordan’s five. It was not frantic dominance. It was the familiar Argentine pattern of patience, territory and one more set-piece detail than the opponent could handle.
We discusseed Argentina’s tournament arc after Messi tied Miroslav Klose against Algeria and again when his Austria brace sent Argentina into the knockouts. This wasn’t as urgent as either of those wins. It was cleaner in a different way: rotation, control, then Messi as the closer.
Jordan leaves with a World Cup memory
Jordan spent most of the night defending. It had 26.7 percent possession, completed 228 passes and put its only shot on target in the net. That is why Al-Tamari’s goal mattered beyond the scoreboard: one sharp cross from Haddad, one left-footed finish, and a debut World Cup campaign had a moment that could travel home.
The match also fit the bigger story we followed before the tournament, when Jordan’s first World Cup path became real and when Jordan helped redraw the World Cup map. The table was harsh, but the experience was not empty.
For North Texas, it was another reminder of how large this tournament can feel in a single building. AT&T Stadium drew 70,649, with the regional stage Stadio previewed in Dallas’s World Cup across North Texas carrying one of Messi’s final group-stage nights.
What it means
Argentina move forward with maximum points, multiple scorers and Messi still able to bend a match without playing 90 minutes. Jordan go out after defeats to Austria, Algeria and Argentina, but not anonymously. In a group that always looked steep, Al-Tamari’s goal against the world champion gave the campaign its signature frame.
