By Michael Church
DALLAS, June 27 (Reuters) - Mercurial Lionel Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches as a largely second-string Argentina continued their winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Jordan in their Group J clash in Dallas on Saturday.
Lionel Scaloni made nine changes to the line-up that beat Austria but goals from Giovani Lo Celso, Lautaro Martinez and Messi, who started on the bench, sealed a victory that sent a warning to Cape Verde, their opponents
in the round of 32.
Lo Celso gave Argentina the lead against the already eliminated Jordanians in the 19th minute with a curling free kick before Martinez doubled the advantage from the penalty spot 12 minutes later.
And while Mousa Altamari pulled one back for Jordan 10 minutes into the second half, Messi's 80th-minute free kick saw him move past France's Just Fontaine and Brazilian Jairzinho by scoring in a seventh World Cup match in a row at the finals.
Lo Celso had been heavily involved throughout the opening quarter of the game and it was for a foul on the Real Betis playmaker by Mohannad Abutaha that Argentina received the free kick from which they took the lead.
Lo Celso stepped up from 20 metres to bend his left-foot strike around the Jordanian defensive wall and, with goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila moving to his left, the ball curled into the opposite corner unopposed.
Martinez almost doubled the lead with a close-range effort that hit the crossbar and when Leandro Paredes was kicked in the head by Nizar Alrashdan as he stooped to meet the rebound, referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot after a VAR review.
The Inter Milan forward made no mistake with his penalty, rolling the ball into the corner with Abulaila having guessed the wrong way.
Martinez clipped the woodwork with an attempt from distance soon after the interval before the Jordanians pulled one back to become the first side to beat Emi Martinez at the 2026 finals.
Ehsan Haddad was found in space on the right and the Jordanian captain slid an inviting low centre across the face of goal for substitute Altamari to steer home.
Messi was introduced to a huge roar from the crowd on the hour mark and etched his name on the scoresheet late in proceedings.
The Inter Miami man was upended 25 metres from goal and he picked himself up to stroke home a low free kick from a central position that Abulaila misjudged as it bent around the wall.
(Reporting by Nick SaidEditing by Toby Davis)
