Lionel Messi came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 in Dallas.He lashed home an 80th-minute free-kick to net for the seventh successive World Cup game, setting a new record. With top spot already confirmed ahead of the match, Messi was named among the substitutes as Lionel Scaloni made nine changes from the team that started their 2-0 win over Austria on Monday. He was brought on after an hour and, predictably, stole the show with another fine goal.Giovani Lo Celso gave Argentina the lead early on with a sweetly struck free-kick of his own, before Lautaro Martinez doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.Jordan, who went into the game knowing they could no longer qualify, refused to buckle and pulled a goal back shortly after half-time. Mousa Altamari was the scorer, emphatically converting Ehsan Haddad’s cross to spark joyous celebrations.Messi was brought on soon after and it was the genius No10 who restored Argentina’s two-goal cushion. He is now two strikes ahead of superstar quartet Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland in the adidas Golden Boot race.Next up for Argentina is a Round of 32 clash with Cabo Verde in Miami on Friday.