Lionel Messi, the leading scorer in the World Cup, will start Argentina’s last group encounter against Jordan on the bench, according to manager Lionel Scaloni.
With five goals from his first two games, including a double against Austria that gave him the World Cup’s all-time record goalscorer, Messi, 39, leads the Golden Boot standings.
Speaking prior to the game in Dallas, which will begin at 03:00 BST on Sunday, Scaloni stated that the decision to rest the superstar was not due to an injury.
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“Leo [Messi] will most likely come on in the second half,” he stated We discussed it and came to the conclusion that it was better that way, but it’s also obviously beneficial for him to maintain his competitive form.”
He further stated: “The decision of who plays tomorrow is not related to who plays in the next match. “Jordan is a formidable opponent, and we plan to dominate by controlling the ball. We will need to consider the opponent’s quick forwards
In France’s 4-1 victory over Norway, Kylian Mbappe was unable to add to his four goals, and Erling Haaland, who also scored four goals, was benched.
However, Ousmane Dembele moved up to four goals for the tournament with a hat-trick in the first half, putting him in the running for the Golden Boot.
