Argentina captain Lionel Messi added yet another chapter to his remarkable FIFA World Cup legacy as the defending champions completed a flawless group-stage campaign with a 3-1 victory over Jordan, while Algeria became the ninth African nation to reach the Round of 32 after a breathtaking draw against Austria.
With qualification already secured, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni heavily rotated his squad, making nine changes from the side that defeated Austria. But even from the substitutes' bench, there was never any doubt about who the Dallas crowd had come to see.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring in style with a brilliantly curled free-kick before Lautaro Martinez doubled Argentina's advantage from the penalty spot after a VAR review spotted Marcos Senesi being kicked in the head inside the area.
Jordan, already eliminated before kick-off, refused to surrender. Mousa Al Tamari finished off an excellent team move early in the second half to halve the deficit, handing Argentina their first goal conceded of the tournament.
Remarkably, Jordan's strike ended Argentina's perfect defensive record after La Albiceleste had faced 18 shots during the tournament. It also came following a sequence of 14 uninterrupted passes, the longest passing move leading to a goal against Argentina at a World Cup since records began in 1966.
Then came the moment everyone had waited for.
Introduced just after the hour mark, Messi received the loudest ovation of the evening before producing another piece of footballing magic. The Argentine captain curled a magnificent direct free-kick beyond the wall in the 80th minute to restore his side's two-goal cushion and send the stadium into celebration once more.
The goal carried extraordinary significance.
Messi became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, stretching from the closing stages of Qatar 2022 into the opening three matches of the 2026 tournament.
His strike was also his sixth goal of this World Cup, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race by two goals over Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland.
It also moved Messi onto 19 career FIFA World Cup goals, further extending his own Argentina record, while becoming only the sixth player since 1966 to score two direct free-kicks at the World Cup alongside Pelé, Rivelino, Teófilo Cubillas, Bernard Genghini and David Beckham.
Even more impressively, Messi equalled the all-time World Cup record of two direct free-kick goals and surpassed Brazilian legend Rivelino as the player with the most goals scored from outside the penalty area in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to six.
Argentina's victory was equally historic for the team.
La Albiceleste registered their 50th FIFA World Cup victory, becoming only the third nation after Brazil and Germany to reach that landmark.
The South Americans now advance to the Round of 32 with a perfect record and will face tournament debutants Cape Verde, whose fairy-tale campaign continues after becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage.
Marko Arnautovic scores during Austria's game against Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo: FIFA)
Elsewhere, one of the most dramatic nights of the tournament unfolded in Kansas City where Algeria and Austria played out a pulsating 3-3 draw that ultimately sent both nations into the knockout rounds while ending Iran's dream.
Although both teams knew a draw would be enough to qualify, there was never any suggestion of settling for a mutually beneficial result.
Austria twice took the lead through Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer, but Algeria responded on each occasion via Rafik Belghali and Riyad Mahrez.
Then came astonishing stoppage time drama.
Mahrez appeared to have fired Algeria into second place in Group J when he blasted home his second goal of the match in the 93rd minute, a strike that simultaneously pushed unbeaten Iran out of the qualification places.
However, Austria refused to surrender.
Deep into the 96th minute, beyond the allotted added time, substitute Sasa Kalajdzic rose highest to head home a dramatic equaliser, sparking wild celebrations among Austrian supporters.
The result meant both Algeria and Austria progressed while Iran's campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion despite remaining unbeaten after drawing all three of their group matches. Their hopes had already been damaged when a late winner against Egypt was ruled out for offside after a VAR review, and they were finally eliminated as the final best third-placed place went to Algeria.
Algeria's qualification means nine of Africa's ten representatives have now reached the Round of 32, with only Tunisia failing to progress the continent's strongest collective performance in FIFA World Cup history.
The final Round of 32 lineup is now complete:
• Argentina vs Cape Verde
• Australia vs Egypt
• Belgium vs Senegal
• Brazil vs Japan
• Colombia vs Ghana
• England vs DR Congo
• France vs Sweden
• Germany vs Paraguay
• Mexico vs Ecuador
• Netherlands vs Morocco
• Norway vs Côte d'Ivoire
• Portugal vs Croatia
• South Africa vs Canada
• Spain vs Austria
• Switzerland vs Algeria
• USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
With Messi rewriting football history, Africa sending a record nine nations into the knockout rounds, and dramatic late goals continuing to define the tournament, the 2026 FIFA World Cup now heads into a Round of 32 packed with compelling storylines and genuine belief that more history is still to be made.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google