Analysis: Why didn’t Lionel Messi play much in Argentina’s win over Jordan?
Argentina rolled to a 3-1 victory over Jordan despite Lionel Messi, the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup, sitting on the sidelines for the first hour of the match Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
While most observers would rather see stars like Messi play the entire match, ultimately the decision is no different from the Cowboys opting to let Dak Prescott or CeeDee Lamb play a series or two in Week 18 before resting them after locking up the division.
And it’s not like Argentina needed Messi anyway, with Giovani Lo Celso and Lautaro Martinez coming through with goals in the opening 25 minutes. Lo Celso scored on a free kick; Martinez drilled a penalty kick after Julian Alvarez was kicked in the face while attempting a header.
If anything, Messi’s early absence reinforced why Argentina will enter the knockout stage as one of the favorites to win the tournament.
When the 39-year-old superstar entered the match in the 60th minute to a standing ovation, Argentina was well in control, 2-1, despite a second-half goal by Jordan’s Mousa Al-Tamari.
But in typical Messi fashion, he had to leave the fans with at least one highlight as he curved a free kick through the net in the 80th minute to clinch the game.
It’s unfortunate that arguably the greatest player didn’t get more time on the pitch; who knows what other big-time plays he could have made? While the World Cup is every four years, it can take decades for countries to host the tournament. The last time D-FW hosted the World Cup was in 1994, for example.
It’s not unreasonable to consider it a once-in-a-generation type of event, and the prices for tickets match how rare and unique the tournament is.
But while Messi’s limited playing time might be a bummer for some of the fans, his late goal likely erased most of those feelings and there’s no doubt it makes tactical sense ahead of the knockout stage.
Messi wasn’t the only starter who sat most of Saturday’s match as Argentina made eight more changes to the lineup it used to defeat Austria and clinch its group on June 22.
The defending World Cup champions weren’t the only nation that used that strategy, with the U.S. and Norway being other notable knockout stage qualifiers that rested their starters in each of their final group stage matches.
The U.S. was in the same situation as Argentina, with the group locked up and a win over Türkiye having no impact on their standing in the next round. The U.S. fell 3-2 to Türkiye in the final moments of extra time.
Norway could have won its group with a win over France, but with a knockout stage spot secured, Norway opted to rest its starters. If there’s a downside to the World Cup, it’s stars sitting. Fans missed out on a potential matchup between two of the globe’s greatest strikers when Norway opted to sit Erling Haaland against France, led by Kylian Mbappe.
Aside from resting starters, getting players off the bench for valuable time on the pitch could be the difference as the competition gets tougher. It was the first World Cup goal for both Martinez and Lo Celso, which is sure to be a confidence builder.
Led by those two, the depth and tenacity of Argentina were on full display from the opening kick, with no signs of being lethargic despite having nothing to play for except national pride.
Argentina having one of the game’s greatest strikers ever, depth and a stingy defense is enough to make the squad a good bet to make another deep run.
Despite having all those qualities, the biggest reason Argentina could be set up to defend its title is a favorable draw to the semifinals.
Argentina is set to face upstart Cape Verde in the Round of 32, then would face the winner of Australia-Egypt. Colombia or Ghana likely awaits in the quarterfinals.
None of those teams is currently ranked in the top 10 by FIFA, with Colombia coming close at No. 11. Now compare that draw to what the U.S. or France could see.
The U.S could face Belgium in the Round of 16 and Spain or Portugal in the quarterfinals while France would duel with Germany in the Round of 16 and then face either the Netherlands or Morocco in the quarterfinals.
With all the facts laid out, it makes sense why Argentina and others opted to rest their starters for most of the match. Going 3-0 in group stage is nice, but ultimately doesn’t matter as much as having every player as healthy as possible for the knockout stage.
As for the fans, there will be some who wanted Messi to play the entire match, but the overwhelming majority of Argentina fans who took over AT&T Stadium would much rather the star get rest if it means improving Argentina’s chances of winning another World Cup.
