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eventually make the game his own. It was exactly what the Argentine faithful -- and football fans everywhere -- had hoped to see.

As Messi warmed up on the touchline, he watched Argentina, who had taken a comfortable two-goal lead before the break, concede their first goal of the tournament. It seemed he had already decided to restore order.

He did exactly that in the 80th minute, restoring Argentina’s two-goal cushion in trademark fashion. After winning a freekick himself with a quick turn that defenders simply could not handle -- a reminder that, even at 39, he still possesses the agility that defined his younger years -- Messi stepped up from around 25 yards on the left side of the pitch.

It was not one of his trademark top-corner curlers. Instead, it was a goal born of intelligence as much as technique.

Jordan’s wall barely covered the goal, with two Argentine players positioned alongside it. Messi cleverly used them to obstruct the goalkeeper’s view before drilling a low strike around the wall and beyond the keeper.

The goal carried him to yet another milestone. Messi became the first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches, surpassing the record he had shared with France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil’s Jairzinho.

“It’s a little bit of an uncomfortable situation when people ask me that and I don’t know what to say,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted, searching for words to describe a player who continues to defy description.

Messi also leads the scoring charts at this tournament with six goals and stands alone atop the all-time World Cup scoring list with 19.

Yet Scaloni insisted the records mean little to his captain.

“He doesn’t think so much about the numbers that people are talking about. The only word that comes to mind is that I’m surprised,” Scaloni said.

For Messi and Argentina, the Jordan game gave the perfect opportunity to test their bench strength.

Scaloni made nine changes to the side that defeated Austria 2-0, with only goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and striker Lautaro Martinez retaining their places.

“Today, he could’ve played 90 minutes and, without undermining our opponent, he wanted his teammates to have time on the pitch and to save himself for what’s coming up,” Scaloni explained.

For Messi, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race clearly remains secondary to Argentina’s bigger objective, even with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland all sitting just two goals behind him.

Much to the relief of Argentina’s supporters, however, they had already shown before Messi’s introduction that they are no longer solely reliant on their captain for goals. Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a superb left-footed freekick from just outside the penalty area before Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 30th minute.

Those strikes were Argentina’s first goals of the tournament scored by players other than Messi.

Now, with their squad depth tested and concerns over their dependence on their captain eased, the defending champions head into the knockout stage full of confidence. Argentina, who have arguably landed the most favourable path, will face Cape Verde in the Round of 32.

The tournament debutants may have held Spain and Uruguay to draws before eliminating the latter to progress from their group, but with Messi leading the way and Argentina having seemingly dispelled their biggest concerns, the defending champions look increasingly well placed to go all the way once again.