Lionel Messi benched for Argentina's final group match

Lionel Messi, who currently leads the Golden Boot race with five goals from two matches, will not feature in the starting lineup for Argentina's final group stage encounter against Jordan. Manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed the decision on Saturday, stating that the 39-year-old superstar will likely be introduced in the second half. Scaloni emphasized that the rest is not due to injury, saying "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 in Dallas kicks off at 03:00 BST on Sunday. Scaloni also noted that the decision to rest Messi is unrelated to the knockout rounds, and that Jordan presents a strong challenge with fast forwards. Meanwhile, in other World Cup action, Kylian Mbappe failed to add to his four goals in France's 4-1 win over Norway, a game where Erling Haaland, also on four goals, remained on the bench. Ousmane Dembele, however, moved into Golden Boot contention with a first-half hat-trick, also reaching four goals for the tournament.