Messi to start final Argentina group match on bench
Lionel Messi will start Argentina's final group match against Jordan on the bench. Manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed this decision, stating it was not injury related. Messi, 39, leads the Golden Boot standings with five goals from his first two matches, including a double against Austria that made him the World Cup's all-time record goalscorer. Scaloni said, "Leo [Messi] will most likely come on in the second half." He added, "We talked and agreed that it was better that way, but obviously it's also good for him to stay in competitive form." The match will kick-off at 03:00 BST on Sunday in Dallas.
Scaloni also stated, "The decision of who plays tomorrow is not related to who plays in the next match." He described Jordan as a good opponent with fast forwards, and Argentina's intention will be to have the ball and dominate through possession. Kylian Mbappe failed to add to his four goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway, a game that saw Erling Haaland, also on four goals, stay on the bench. Ousmane Dembele put himself into Golden Boot contention with a first-half hat-trick to move to four goals for the tournament.
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Argentina's manager, Lionel Scaloni, has confirmed that star player Lionel Messi will start their final group match against Jordan on the bench.
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