FIFA World Cup: Record-breaker Lionel Messi rested for Argentina’s group final against Jordan | Football news
Defending champions Argentina go out without their talismanic captain Lionel Messi in the starting lineup when they face tournament debutants Jordan in their Group J final on Sunday.With Argentina having already wrapped up first place in Group J, coach Lionel Scaloni opted to wrap his crown jewel in cotton. Speaking on Saturday, just two days after Messi celebrated his 39th birthday, Scaloni confirmed that the new all-time World Cup winner will start on the bench, although he dropped a strong hint that the maestro will eventually be present.“Messi will start the game on the bench, but he will enter a little later,” Scaloni told reporters, keeping his tactical cards close to his chest without revealing the exact timing of the substitution or his starting XI.The decision comes as a calculated piece of load management. Messi has single-handedly carried Argentina’s attack into North America, scoring all five of the team’s goals so far. He hit a vintage hat-trick against Algeria to equal the men’s all-time scoring record before beating Miroslav Klose and Marta’s tallies with a clinical brace against Austria on Monday.In addition, Messi’s build-up to the four-year exhibition was plagued by a nagging muscle injury during his domestic season with Inter Miami. While there have been no visible fitness concerns since the tournament began, the Argentine field is fully aware of the physical marathon that awaits us.Argentina’s quest for a back-to-back global crown enters its business end next Friday in South Florida. If the Albiceleste are to reach the grand final on July 20, they will face a grueling and relentless schedule of five games packed into just 17 days.Given the high-intensity nature of modern playoff football, saving Messi’s legs against a highly mismatched Jordan team makes perfect tactical sense. While the fans in the stadium will be desperate to get a glimpse of the genius, Scaloni’s focus is firmly on making sure that his master strategist operates at 100 percent when the limit of winning or going home arrives.
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