World Cup: More Messi magic and a thriller in Argentina-Algeria
The final set of matches of the World Cup group stage were played late on Saturday night, and we were treated to plenty of goals in Group J across Jordan-Argentina and Algeria-Austria.
Jordan 1-3 Argentina
In Dallas, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni played a rotated eleven, having already sealed top spot in the group. Lyon fullback Nicolás Tagliafico was in the eleven in place of Facundo Medina, with Valentín Barco of RC Strasbourg making his debut in the competition off the bench. Former Ligue 1 players Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes and Thiago Almada all featured as well, but there was no question the evening belonged to Messi, despite Lautaro Martínez's battling display in attack.
The Inter Milan forward opened the scoring from the penalty spot and also struck the woodwork twice, helping stake his side to a 2-0 lead before Stade Rennais winger Musa Al-Tamaari scored off the bench, netting with a predatory finish in the box. Ten minutes from time, though Messi would seal the result with a powerfully struck free kick, finding the bottom corner to all but seal the result, with Argentina set to face Cape Verde on Friday in Miami.
Algeria qualifies to the knockout stage! 🇩🇿🙌 pic.twitter.com/RUATecugLY
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) June 28, 2026
Algeria 3-3 Austria
In Kansas City, both Algeria and Austria were eager to seal second place, having entered the match on three points apiece following losses to Argentina and wins against Jordan. Les Fennecs featured plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's talent, with the LOSC duo of Aissa Mandi and Nabil Bentaleb joined in the eleven by Marseille's Amine Gouiri.
The night belonged to a pair of former Ligue 1 players, though, as Houssem Aouar (ex-Lyon) and Riyad Mahrez (Le Havre) combined twice, helping their side twice battle back from a goal down to eventually take the lead in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Algeria would ultimately be frustrated, though, as the Austrians found a late, late equalizer thanks to Sasa Kaladzic, who had only just come on. Algeria will take on Switzerland Thursday in Vancouver, while Austria next face Spain in Los Angeles.
