Messi to start Argentina's final group match on bench
Short overview
Lionel Messi will begin Argentina's final World Cup group match against Jordan on the bench, manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed. The decision is tactical, not injury-related, with Messi expected to feature in the second half.
World Cup top scorer Lionel Messi will start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on the bench, manager Lionel Scaloni has confirmed. The match is scheduled to kick off at 03:00 BST on Sunday in Dallas.
Scaloni explains decision
Scaloni said the decision to rest the 39-year-old superstar was not injury related. "Leo [Messi] will most likely come on in the second half," Scaloni said. "We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it's also good for him to stay in competitive form."
Messi leads the Golden Boot standings with five goals from his first two matches, including a double against Austria that made him the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer. Scaloni emphasized that the lineup choice was independent of future matches. "The decision of who plays tomorrow is not related to who plays in the next match," he added.
Opponent analysis
Scaloni acknowledged the challenge posed by Jordan. "Jordan is a good opponent, and our intention will be to have the ball and dominate through possession. The opponent's forwards are fast and we will have to take that into account."
Golden Boot race update
In other tournament developments, Kylian Mbappe failed to add to his four goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway, a game that saw Erling Haaland, also on four goals, stay on the bench. However, Ousmane Dembele put himself into Golden Boot contention with a first-half hat-trick to move to four goals for the tournament.
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