Lionel Messi, Argentina dance to World Cup Round of 32

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Stadium crowd erupted as the legendary Lionel Messi stood at midfield with his teammates, waving toward the stands Saturday night. Across from them, the bouncing sky blue jerseys carried on their celebration during Argentina’s third and final game in the World Cup group stage.

Long before La Albiceleste walked out for a 3-1 victory over Jordan, the Argentine supporters among the crowd of 70,649 were already jumping and singing “Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar.” (Boys, today we have our hopes up again.)

That chant became synonymous  with Argentina’s 2022 World Cup championship run in Qatar. Along with chants of: ¡Y Ya lo ve! ¡Y Ya lo ve! 

¡El que no salte es un Inglés!

(And now you see! And now you see! Whoever doesn’t jump is an Englishman!)

Lionel Messi enters late

The ovation had been building since the moment the fourth official lifted the board flashing Messi’s No. 10 in green. The substitution incited a roar across an already raucous crowd.

Messi rewarded them with a masterful free kick that pushed his all-time World Cup record goal tally to 19.

By curling that goal into the left corner with the majestic left foot, Messi made history once again by becoming the first player to score in seven consecutive FIFA World Cup games.

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“I’m really happy for him with the moment he’s having,” Giovani Lo Celso, the Man of the Match, said of Messi. “He’s scored six goals in three games, and what stands out to me is how he’s doing, how much he’s enjoying himself.

“In the end, we push from behind, but honestly, seeing him every day is so exciting and very contagious. So, obviously, seeing him like this is very important for us, and we’re there pushing and supporting wherever needed.”

Jordan didn’t advance, but the Jordanians’ first World Cup left a mark. They were eliminated before stepping onto the pitch in Arlington. They scored in every match, setting a foundation for the country’s soccer future.

Special consolation goal

“Of course, this is our first time,” midfielder Amer Jamous said. “We don’t have the big experience, but we played. We showed everyone that we are a good team. 

“We scored against Argentina, the best team in the world. So it’s a moment of pride for all the Jordanians. We learned a lot of lessons from this tournament, and next time we will come back and be stronger.”

Defending World Cup champion Argentina’s path kept building. The three-time World Cup champions earned their 50th all-time World Cup victory. Only five-time champion Brazil and four-time champ Germany have won more games in World Cup competition. Next comes Cabo Verde, the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage.

“I think we had a very good group stage,” Lo Celso said. “Now the most important part begins. From now on, we need to move on and think about Cape Verde, which is going to be a very tough opponent.”