Argentina secured the top spot in Group J after a 3-1 win over Jordan on June 27 at Dallas Stadium, advancing to the World Cup round of 32 with one match left in the group stage [1, 2, 3]. Lionel Scaloni rested Lionel Messi by starting him on the bench and made nine changes to the starting lineup from the previous match against Austria. Only Emiliano Martinez and Lautaro Martinez were retained [4, 5, 6, 1, 3].

Jordan, already eliminated after losses to Austria and Algeria, made two lineup changes but could not stop Argentina’s rotation-heavy side from controlling the match [7, 6]. Argentina’s goals came from Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez via a penalty, and Messi, who entered as a substitute and scored a late free kick in the 80th minute [1, 2, 3].

Messi’s goal extended his record to scoring in seven consecutive World Cup matches, a new milestone, bringing his total World Cup goal tally to 19 [2, 1, 8]. The 39-year-old forward, who celebrated his birthday on June 24, added the goal off a set piece, showcasing his continued influence even when rested [9].

Despite the changes, Scaloni dismissed claims that Argentina fielded a weakened team. He said, "The idea is to give most players a chance to play. I think they deserve it and, whenever the match allows it, we will do so." He emphasized that every player must perform regardless of the match significance [7, 4, 10]. "Those that are playing tomorrow deserve to play, they are part of the team... The dream as a coach is to have the team perform the same way, independent of the players who comprise the team," Scaloni added [4].

Players returning from injury such as Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Leandro Paredes were given more playing time amid some defensive uncertainties following Cristian Romero’s injury and Nicolas Otamendi stepping in [7, 11, 9, 3].

Argentina had already won their first two Group J matches against Algeria (3-0) and Austria (2-0), with Messi scoring all five goals in those games [7, 11, 9]. Jordan’s coach Jamal Sellami expressed pride in his team’s World Cup campaign despite the early exit [7].

Argentina is scheduled to play Cape Verde, the runners-up from Group H, in the round of 32 on July 3 in Miami [7, 3].